The
Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
at Slide Rock State Park
6871 N State Route 89A
Sedona, Arizona
October 5, 2022
call '928-282-3034 for cost and hours
 
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Slide Rock State
Park is an Arizona State Park located in Oak Creek Canyon 7 miles north
of Sedona, Arizona, United States. It has fantastic swimming holes and
a natural slide, plus very cold water.
 It
was originally the Pendley Homestead, a 43-acre historic apple farm
located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley arrived in the canyon
in 1907, formally acquired the land under the Homestead Act in 1910.
Due to his pioneering innovation, he succeeded where others failed by
establishing a unique irrigation system still in use by the park today.
This allowed Pendley to plant his first apple orchard in 1912, beginning
the pattern of agricultural development that has dominated the site
since that time. Pendley also grew garden produce and kept some livestock.
As one of the few homesteads left intact in the canyon today, Slide
Rock State Park is a fine example of early agricultural development
in Central Arizona. The site was also instrumental to the development
of the tourism industry in Oak Creek Canyon. The completion of the canyon
road in 1914 and the paving of the roadway in 1938 were strong influences
in encouraging recreational use of the canyon. Hence, Pendley followed
suit and in 1933, built rustic cabins to cater to vacationers and sightseers.
Today visitors can still enjoy the fruits of Pendley's labor. Historic
cabins are available for viewing, and the creek offers the park's namesake
slide for adventures seekers and those lo
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Slide Rock State Park is located
in the center of Oak Creek Canyon in the Coconino National Forest and
borders the Secret Mountain Wilderness Area. Oak Creek Canyon is home
to many sandstone bluffs. |
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Below: Karen Duquette at the bottom of the slide area
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Below: Karen
Duquette cautiously entered the extremely cold water. Even though she
was wearing water shoes, she found certain areas to be extremely slippery. |
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Karen Duquette
approaching the top of the slide area |
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Karen Duquette slid down Sedona's
red rocks natural slide, an 80-foot long slippery chute that is worn
into sandstone. As Karen spun completely around backwards, she was laughing
her head off, so she had a bit of trouble getting out of the water.
A nice gentleman helped her get to her feet and out of the water and
several on-lookers applauded as Karen walked by them later. (Mostly
only kids were brave enough to do this). Karen went down it several
times and had a lot of fun. Lee Duquette does not like cold water, and
the water was extremely cold, so he did not go in the water. Unfortunately
Lee did not take pictures of Karen going down the slide, but the slide
is shown below. There was no lifeguard on duty. |
Below: Karen Duquette ready to go down the natural slide |
Below: part of The Natural
Slide |
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Below: The road
leaving Slide Rock State Park |
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