Swimming in Slide Rock State Park - Sedona, Arizona

Slide Rock State Park ​in Sedona, Arizona, is a popular swimming hole and historic homestead. Oak Creek flows through the 43-acre park providing water for the park’s apple orchards and creating the namesake "slide" rocks. 

Slide Rock is a tourist favorite making it one of the most populous areas Taylor and I visited in Sedona. We arrived just after 4:00 o’clock with 2 hours until closing, and it was PACKED. ​

Read about our entire trip to Sedona in this blog post, here!

We came to take a swim after a long day of exploring Montezuma Castle National Monument. Taylor knew that the park featured natural slides, but we were unaware of the park’s history and agriculture.

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​Before the Slide Rock property was dedicated as a state park in 1987, it was owned by the Pendley family. Frank Pendley acquired the land through the Homestead Act in 1910 and built an irrigation system to water the first apple orchard in 1912. In 1985, Tom Pendley sold the homestead to the Arizona Parklands Foundation for $3.6 million. Today, the park maintains nearly 300 apple trees and the original Pendley family structures.

As we passed the apple orchards and historical buildings on our way to the creek, we realized the popularity of the park and wondered if we would be able to find a somewhat secluded place to swim. ​

When we got to the water our fears were confirmed and it was very difficult to find a spot to get into the water. We decided to walk upstream to explore the creek.

​On our way, we passed countless splashing children sliding down the shallow and smooth rock slides. Though this was a joyful scene, but we were looking for deeper water and a quieter atmosphere.

After walking for about 15 minutes, we heard loud splashes and cheers and soon discovered people cliff jumping into a deep pool. We couldn’t wait to join. We climbed the cliff and waited our turn to jump into the pristine waters of Oak Creek.

After the exhilarating dip into the water and a little time spent swimming, we realized the park would be closing soon and started making our way back to the park’s entrance. We walked back downstream to the rocks where kids were sliding down the smooth rocks, and Taylor jumped right in to join them.

Taylor claimed that sliding down the rocks was more fun than cliff jumping, but I couldn’t believe it, nor did I let her prove me wrong by sliding down the rocks. 

We had a great few hours in this wonderful little park. Watch our video below to see how much fun we truly had!

See more from our trip to Sedona:

Our Entire Three-Day Itinerary
Sunrise at Devil's Bridge
Finding Secret Caves in Boynton Canyon