Slide Rock is a 14-foot sandstone waterslide on Oak Creek in Coconino County, Arizona, and the feature that gives Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon its name. The creek glides down a smooth rock chute into a swimming area that the park runs as its main attraction.
The falls
The drop is listed at 14 feet, and a park brochure describes the slide as about 80 feet long, set in a half-mile stretch of creek used for swimming. Flow records are not documented.
Getting there
Arizona State Parks manages the site. Entry is by vehicle only through the entry station: no walk-ins, drop-offs or bicycles, and no reservations. When the lot is full, visitors may not wait along the driveway or the highway. The 2026 fee is $30 per vehicle for one to four people from May to August 21 and $20 from August 22 through April 2027, plus $5 for each extra person; children under 6 are free. From January 31 to November 20 the park is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with entry and swimming ending at 5 p.m.; from November 21 to January 30 it is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with entry and swimming ending at 4 p.m. It closes on Christmas. The Slide Rock Route to the creek is a 0.3-mile moderate primitive trail, and the Pendley Homestead Trail covers 0.25 mile on level pavement.
The swim area reopened under a revised Forest Service closure order for Oak Creek; check posted conditions before driving up.
When to go
Summer carries the higher fee. Pets are barred from the whole park from May 1 to September 30, and apple picking is not offered in fall 2026.
On site
Swimming depends on posted conditions, and there is no lifeguard. Glass containers are not allowed in the swimming area. Dogs are never allowed in the creek area.
History and name
The park was Frank Pendley's homestead, a 43-acre apple farm whose irrigation system from 1910 still works; historic cabins and the orchard remain. The natural waterslide gave the park its name.
Nearby
Encinoso Falls is about 1.7 miles away, Angel Falls about 2.7 miles and Cookstove Draw Falls about 4.7 miles. Sedona is about 5.4 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.