Slide Rock State Park

Any info on Slide Rock State Park in Az. would be appreciated. Plan to go with grandkids....soon. Also any advise to do at Grand Canyon with teen agers.???

Lots of Fun!

We were just there in mid-June. Lots of fun but VERY slippery! It's the Oak Creek and you climb around the rocks, jump into a few deep pools, slide down some rills, etc. You absolutely need to get there first thing in the morning - for both parking and to grab a spot under shade. I think parking in the lot is $10 per vehicle.

There is NO lifeguards or any of that. Strictly at own risk... and someone gets hurt every day (ok, that's not a statistic but I bet it's true) from a fall and bruising to broken and dislocated whatevers. BUT given the large number of people that go, it's a small percentage. I say this not to scare you but so that you'll be careful and pay attention.

If you have teenagers, they are going to LOVE jumping off the rock ledge that is right under the road... it's at least 35 feet above the water. Quite a thrill!

Have fun!

Also any advise to do at Grand Canyon with teen agers.???[/QUOTE]

We just got back from Sedona & the Grand Canyon July 19th. The weather this time was not unbearable! (Many years ago we went to the GC and the temp was over 110)For the Grand Canyon my 21 year old daughter & dad went on a hike & took lots of pictures. She loved it! For under $400.00 each you can do a donkey trip - we did not want to spend the money!

Wearing water shoes at Slide Rock is another good idea. As far as what to do with teens at the Grand Canyon...isn't taking them to the Canyon enough? Nothing special is required. Just be sure to point out interesting things to them so they notice cool stuff, like the big hole in the ground. You know how distracted they can be by the opposite sex at this age. The Grand Canyon Movie in Tusayan is pretty cool. It's on a huge curved theater screen. Makes you feel as though you are flying through the air. Cool! There is also a place to get scoop ice cream at the canyon. That should make everyone happy.

BTW, visit the Grand Canyon forum at Trip Advisor if you want more ideas.

Yes, it is 'VERY slippery’; my granddaughter fell and had to have 5 sutures in her upper lip. Still has a little scar from it. Be sure they are careful, nothing ruins a vacation like a trip to the emergency clinic.

We wore old tennis shoes and cut-off jeans over our swimsuits. Protect your feet and protect your tush!

Very slippery that red clay. 2 people fell and hit there head while we were there. DH wanted to take a picture from the middle of the stream with his $$$$ new digital camera. He fell and the camera was fried. Needless to say I was glad I was not the one who got the camera wet.

89A is gorgeous and Slide Rock is worth the visit. Teens will love the Broken Arrow Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona.

Thank you all for the information. It sounds like the 'thrill' is worth the 'risk'
Hopefully no one with require stitches or fixing of broken bones. I already have the IMAX tickets and not sure about the Pink Jeeps, since there will be 6 of us. 5 teenagers and a grandmother!!!!! Might be a little pricey.
Just say a pray that they all come back without injury!!!:whoopie:
I will let you know how this goes. But thanks for the old jeans and shoes
to protect them. That is key!

I'd do the Pink Jeep Broken Arrow. It is worth every penny and you will remember it forever!!. It took Kelli over 20 mins to ease into the water and that's only because she slipped. She was freezing!! shaggy

I can't believe this is my first post, but the topic hit very close to home, considering the fresh stitches in the back of my head

I just got back from Sedona and despite having done Slide Rock in previous years, I still got caught by surprise on those slippery rocks. Luckily there are a couple of ER/urgent care options in Sedona, including the one that stitched me up, which was only 2 miles from my TS in west Sedona. Thankfully, it was almost the end of the day for us and it didn't spoil the trip -- just a couple lost hours dealing with that injury. After hours of fun and sucessfully navigating my way around, I think I just got careless.

I'm not sure water shoes really help much -- most people go barefoot. Best advice is to forget appearances and just walk carefully and crouch a little, and beware that anything wet that you step on is going to be very slippery. The danger isn't really the natural water slide, it's in walking up and down the banks of it.

If you can't get there near opening time -- 8 am -- wait until mid-day, when the early arrivals have had enough and start to leave. Once the parking lot is full, they only let in another car when one leaves. We arrived just before noon on Monday and only had to wait 10 minutes or so to get in. Forget weekends, it's just too crowded.

Water quality was very good this week (rated "low risk") and they test it daily. Summer is really the only season for this, since the waters of Oak Creek are rather chilly and you'll be glad it's 90 degrees outside when you jump in.

In addition to the Grand Canyon, try to do a hike or two in the Sedona area. You may find that you prefer the experience of really being "in" a beautiful canyon rather than looking at one from a distance. In spite of the temperature, we were comfortable even hiking in the afternoon, with plenty of shade on the trails we took. A very popular and highly recommended trail is the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, just a couple miles up the road from Slide Rock. This is another one you want to get to early or else you will wait to get in, but grandmothers, little ones and everyone in between can all do this trail, and the scenery is breathtaking.

And definitely the Pink Jeep "Broken Arrow" trip is a must! There are lots of Jeep tours in Sedona, but the Broken Arrow trip is a truly unique experience and worth the price. Don't put it off until "next trip."

Enjoy your trip!

The hike up Oak Creek Canyon (close to Slide Rock) is fun to go on. Can pack a lunch and spend a hot day there. I was impressed with Walnut Canyon- lots of stairs but the caves are cool. There is so much to see in the Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon area its unbelieveable.

If you dont already have the National Parks Pass might want to get it (dont know how old you are, could get the senior pass) with a car load it pays for itself pretty fast.

What about that Red Rocks Pass? Cant remember the details on that.

Red Rocks pass is needed for any hiking/sightseeing. $5/day or $15/week. It doesn't work at Slide Rock though, that is a state park with it's own entrance fee ($10 for a carload).

Just returned from the Az. trip with 7 grandkids!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME WE HAD.:whoopie:

Did the Hot Air Balloon ride in N. Scottsdale and then drove to the Canyon.
Bought a Sr. pass for $10 for ALL NATIONAL Parks at the IMAX theater.
This was the first place we went and the kids learned about the Canyon and what the wanted to see. Spent the night and then drove to Sedona area and Slide Rock. Paid $10 for the van full to get in. They LOVED THIS place. It was crowded but we were able to
find places to sit and the kids slide on the rocks. The biggest ''thrill'' was jumping from the rocks that are under the bridge. Not sure of height but it is high. And it is 'JUMP AT YOUR OWN RISK'. My heart was in my throat as I watched but all were safe and very happy.

We stayed at Camel Back Resort in Scottsdale in a 2 b/2b. It is a nice resort for the kids and very easy to get around. The resort is a little "tired" in some places but still a great place.

The next time we will do the Pink Jeeps (We just ran out of time) and money this trip.

What great memories this Nana has!!!

Grandma trips are fun. I took my 6 grandkids to Longboat Key last June. Only one parent allowed, the rest werent invited. It was a grandma trip.

They think Im the party grandma. They will remember how cool you are forever.

Maybe we could start a GRANDMA group trip. Any info that others have done and had a good time, we can share. It doesn't have to be the expensive trips that make memories. Just the fun things we do and spend time together.
Maybe we should start another thread and continue to add to it????????
any suggestions????

Slide rock clothing

I know this answer is too late for the OP, but perhaps it will help someone in the future. We went to Slide Rock in July 2007 and had a blast. I would definitely recommend shoes, durable shorts and even shirts. My daughter slipped and landed on the plastic hook to her bikini top and it broke! So without the shirt we would have been going home. Also, her thin cotton shorts were shredded by day end, and about a week later my sons suit shredded in the butt! (oops while 1/2 way through a day of rafting!) I suspect it was most likely due to the wear and tear of that day!

By the way, I just found out - the hard way - that "Crocs" are slippery when wet, so be careful about using them as water shoes on wet rock.

Also, our 2 teenage boys (15 yrs) enjoyed 2 things when out west:
1) Ranger guided tours (especially in the less crowded National Parks, when it was often just us!)
2) A field guide to the wildlife (my sons was on snakes, lizards and reptiles, my nephew's on poisonous plants and animals!)
We did a ton of hiking, but tried to intersperse other activities every few days to keep it fun.

My final note: We live on the East Coast and read all the warnings about how crowded the Grand Canyon etc is during the summer. We also talked to a local who had been at Slide Rock the same (mid-week) day that we had and he thought it was terribly crowded. Yes, there were people everywhere and you couldn't just lay your towel anywhere, but we never felt crowded.

Lisa

nana7 said:

Maybe we could start a GRANDMA group trip. Any info that others have done and had a good time, we can share. It doesn't have to be the expensive trips that make memories. Just the fun things we do and spend time together.
Maybe we should start another thread and continue to add to it????????
any suggestions????

Click to expand...

Expensive trips dont necessarily make better memories, they just cost more money.

4 of my grandchildren wont be coming to Utah this year (thats why I took them to Longboat Key before they moved to Texas). They are really upset they arent going camping with grandma this year. Last year we went to Bryce but other trips have been up in the Cottonwood Canyons 5 miles from my house.

Most important advice is wear old, touph shorts that you are willing to toss at the end of the day! Maybe the rocks have been polished over the years, but a bathing suit is not sufficient and will be ruined. Cut offs may live to see another day.