I never went to Red Rock State Park in Sedona because everyone (the Internet) said it was just blah. As a continuation of our year-long hiking challenge, Jack and I are still actively “collecting” state and national parks. As of this writing we are 15 out of 31 for state parks and 6 out of 29 for national parks in Arizona. While not as big as Alaska or Texas, Arizona does rank 6th in size and that is a lot of territory to cover.
Red Rock State Park is south of Sedona, just before you get to all the famous red rock formations. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of that red soil to dirty up your boots and many of the famous buttes can be seen from the hiking trails. This is a 286-acre nature preserve with hiking trails, picnic areas, viewpoints and wildlife viewing areas. While a riparian area does run through the park, there is no swimming, wading, fishing, hunting or camping. You must go to Oak Creek Canyon, north of Sedona if you are looking for those types of activities. There is plenty of hiking, lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife.
The hiking in this park is easy and very family-friendly. All the trails are well-marked and create loops with very little elevation gain. Jack and I enjoyed hiking through the meadow to the Kingfisher bridge and up on to the Apache Fire trail which took us to the back of the park and along Coyote Ridge. We were able to see the red rock formations that made Sedona famous as well as deer and fawns. We did not do the entire Eagle’s Nest trail, but instead took it from Coyote Ridge to Kisva through the Riparian area back to the bridge. Once back at the Visitor’s Center, we watched a movie about the preservation of Oak Creek and then tested our skills at identifying animals from their tracks in the museum.
One curiosity that I have not yet mentioned is the Apache Fire House. It was once the home of Helen and Jack Frye and the remaining structure can be seen from almost anywhere in the park, once you know it is there. It took me a few moments to realize what I was looking at when I first looked up on the cliff. Once on the back trails, you can clearly see that it is a house made from the red rocks of the area in the Hopi pueblo style. Unfortunately visitors are no longer allowed inside the structure so I did not even give Jack the option of hiking the trail that runs past it. The staff at the park hope to one day get the funding to be able to restore the home and turn it into a museum.
- Trails:
- Total miles: 5
- Elevation Gain: 300 feet
- No dogs allowed
- Features: Museum, Gift Shop, Kingfisher Bridge, Riparian area, Wildlife viewing areas, Scenic lookouts, and Apache Fire House
- Link to Red Rock State Park for more information.