Slide Rock State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park
Slide Rock State Park Location in Arizona
Location	Coconino, Arizona, United States
Area	43 acres (17 ha)
Elevation	4,930 ft (1,500 m)
Established	July 10, 1985
Governing body	Arizona State Parks United States Forest Service

Slide Rock State Park is a really cool state park in Arizona. It's located in Oak Creek Canyon, about 7 miles north of Sedona, Arizona. The park gets its name from a natural water slide! This slide was formed by the super smooth and slippery bed of Oak Creek.

Slide Rock State Park is on land that belongs to the Coconino National Forest. It's looked after by two groups: the Arizona State Parks agency and the United States Forest Service. The park is surrounded by tall, beautiful red rock formations, which are very common in this part of Arizona. There's also a 43-acre apple farm inside the park that still works today!

A Look Back at Slide Rock

The land where Slide Rock State Park is now was first developed by a man named Frank L. Pendley. He arrived in the canyon in 1907. Frank officially owned the land in 1910 through something called the Homestead Act. This law allowed people to get land if they lived on it and made improvements.

Frank Pendley was very clever. He built a special system to bring water to his farm, which is still used today! In 1912, he planted an apple orchard. A road was built through the canyon in 1914, making it easier for people to visit. Frank then built simple cabins for tourists in 1933. Some of these cabins are still standing today.

The beautiful scenery of the area was even used in movies! Several films were shot here, including Angel and the Badman (1946), Broken Arrow (1950), Drum Beat (1954), and Gun Fury (1953).

Becoming a State Park

Arizona State Parks bought the land for the park on July 10, 1985. It was officially named Slide Rock State Park in October 1987. The area where Frank Pendley's home and farm were, called the Pendley Homestead Historic District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 23, 1991. This apple farm is one of the few old homesteads still saved in Oak Creek Canyon.

Things to Do and See

Slide Rock State Park has three fun hiking trails for visitors to explore:

• Pendley Homestead Trail (about 0.25 miles long)
• Slide Rock Route (about 0.3 miles long)
• Clifftop Nature Trail (about 0.25 miles long)

Many people love to visit Slide Rock State Park. In 2005, over 254,000 visitors came to enjoy the park! It's one of the most popular places to visit in Arizona. In 2014, Fordor's Travel magazine even named Slide Rock one of the top 10 state parks in the whole United States. More recently, readers of USA Today voted Slide Rock as the fifth best swimming hole in the country!

Gallery

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  Oak Creek Canyon

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  Slide Rock State Park during the 2011 winter season

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  Oak Creek Cascades

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  Midgley Bridge