Sometimes a state park oozes with so much natural beauty and offers so many best experiences that we think it should really be a national park. One of these is located in the Oak Creek Canyon within the Coconino National Forest in Sedona, Arizona. We have been to Slide Rock State Park five times and will definitely go again. In fact, it has again made the Travel Channel’s list of “10 Top Swimming Holes in the United States” because of its “ultimate water slide.”
Sometimes a state park oozes with so much natural beauty and offers so many best experiences that we think it should really be a national park. One of these is located in the Oak Creek Canyon within the Coconino National Forest in Sedona, Arizona. We have been to Slide Rock State Park five times and will definitely go again. In fact, it has again made the Travel Channel’s list of “10 Top Swimming Holes in the United States” because of its “ultimate water slide.”
But there are several other best experiences you can have at the park besides swimming and sliding. You can learn about the history of the area, enjoy apple-picking with your kids, hike among red rocks and take instagrammable photos, and view wildlife and fish to your heart’s content. Whenever family and friends visit, we make it a point to take them there and are lucky that it is only two hours from our home in Mesa. On our most recent visit in late June, however, it was closed by the U.S. Forest Service due to the extreme risk of forest fires at the time.
1. History Of The Area
The park was originally a 43-acre historic apple farm owned by Frank L. Pendley, who arrived in the canyon in 1907 and acquired the land under the Homestead Act of 1910. It then became known as the Pendley Homestead. The unique irrigation system he established is still in use by the park today. It was the reason his farm succeeded while others failed.
When the canyon road (it is the shortcut — 45 minutes to Flagstaff) was opened in 1914 and paved in 1938, tourism in the area flourished. Because his farm was one of the largest parcels of land in Oak Creek Canyon, Pendley built rustic cabins to cater to those who wanted to stay for a vacation. Some of the historic cabins are still available for viewing today, including various farm implements that were used at the time.
His son continued to operate and manage the property until 1982, when the family decided it was time to sell it. Arizona Governor Babbitt had a vision and created the Arizona Parklands Foundation that would acquire private property and donate it to the state. In 1985, four Arizona banks loaned $3.6 million to the foundation. When the donations did not come in, however, the state legislature passed House Bill 2391 that provided a State Park Acquisition and Development Fund. It purchased not just the Pendley Homestead but five other properties that also became state parks. Slide Rock State Park officially opened to the public in October 1987.
