Slide Rock State Park - Darlin South

You can find this Arizona gem in Oak Creek Canyon and before or after the iconic rock peaks of Sedona (depending on your direction)…..then straight on till morning!

Slide Rock State Park, originally the Pendley Homestead, is a 43-acre historic apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon. Frank L. Pendley, having 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. Todays 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 looking for a place to cool off.
cited: Arizona State Parks

This was our first sneak peak into seeing the beginning views of red rock before venturing into Sedona later on that day. In the middle of such a rugged and fierce landscape, it was absolutely mind boggling to me that this prime area nestled in the midst of it all was able to thrive and create the perfect home; lasting over a century. You can see the apples trees in the background of our picture that are still thriving today! As we continued through the park, we traveled to Slide Rock….which is one of Travel Channel’s “10 Top Swimming Holes In The United States” (by the way). We did not go swimming because there were a ton of people (and it’s not even Summer yet) as well as the plain fact of how cold the water was….but that did not stop others from enjoying the natural water slide (shameless daredevils as they were). Slide Rock is an absolute wonder to see….I found it especially awesome that you can make out the progression of light sandstone into the rich iconic red sandstone! Check out my pictures below and see if you can see the progression as well!