If you head south out of the scenic
mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Interstate 17 and connect with state
highway eighty-nine you will be on your way to one of the most spectacular
sights in a state full of beauty. When
you first start your journey there is little indication of the massive drop in
elevation that will occur before you reach the city of Sedona, which lies
thirty-one breathtaking miles from Flagstaff.
About twelve minutes outside of Flagstaff the Ponderosa Pines start
allowing for a first glimpse of Oak Creek Canyon. The road then begins to sidewinder radically
through switch-backs as you drop down to the canyon floor.
As your slowly making you way
through the hairpin turns the vegetation begins to become more and more diverse. Douglas Firs, Blue Spruces, Walnut,
Cottonwoods, and Oaks all blend together on the steep cliff walls. For anyone not comfortable with heights the
journey down the gorge can be harrowing.
I for one found this place to be another of the amazing islands of
forest, water, and rock which are dispersed throughout this desert state. The rock face itself shines brilliantly with buff
colored veins running through the rusty sandstone make up the north end of the
canyon. If you’re lucky enough to be making
this drive around sunset the cliff face lights up brilliantly showing the
diversity present in the rock formations.
Nearing the bottom of this snakelike
road you gain control of your equilibrium again, as the vegetation changes once
more. Now instead of tall pines there is many different examples of shrubby
deciduous trees, flower filled meadows, and might Oak stands. The rock is also different, less intensely
craggy and more lumped with large boulders.
The Sandstone takes over at this lower elevation as well providing a
stark contrast to the colorful foliage.
As you begin to slowly ungulate toward Sedona the name sake of the makes
its appearance—Oak Creek. This stream
flows year round through the canyon floor boring out multiple swimming holes in
the soft stone. Slide Rock State Park
takes advantage of these pools and offers access to many hiking trails and
scenic overlooks. I recommend that
anyone travelling her stops for a dip in the chilly water before finally heading
out of the canyon into the dazzling escarpments of Sedona.
This reminds me of the few trips I have taken where I visit state and national parks in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The scenery is just jaw-dropping in these places. There is nothing like hiking to the top of a bluff and looking out and seeing nature at its best. I do not remember if I ever visited Oak Creek Canyon because it was quite some time ago the last time my family went driving around the Southwest. I am an avid camper. I loving being outside with nature and these parks are amazing place to go. I feel that sometimes getting away from civilization helps you appreciate what you have and lets you relax. These places are an excellent place to get away from the stresses of life and think. The way you described the place made me feel like I was riding in a car visiting the canyon. Maybe someday I will have to pleasure to visit the canyon myself.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog entry because it reminds me of the trips I have taken to national parks in the midwest. I've never been to Arizona, but I've gone backpacking in the Rockies twice and your description of the vegetation really brought back memories of hanging out with a bunch of pine trees in the middle of nowhere (until you get above the tree line). The rock formations also reminded me a little of the Black Hills. In places, the boulders look exactly like the ones in your photos, albeit more of a gray color. I liked that you described the variation in both vegetation and rock as you get deeper into the valley. It really made me feel like I was experiencing that again and my stomach dropped a little bit while I was reading it, just thinking about driving from high elevations to sudden deep valleys. Your photo of the river is breathtaking; I love hiking around places that have some sort of body of water, be it lakes, rivers, or streams, and the way the river cuts into the rock in these places is amazing. One day I want to visit all the national and state parks in the country, and based on the photos and description you have provided, Slide Rock will likely be at or near the top of the list.
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