Oak Creek Canyon, just outside Sedona, Arizona, is a spectacular and diverse riparian area and the state's second most popular canyon. Towering vermilion and cream walls rise out of a lush green canopy, creating an other-worldly beauty, with vistas in every direction.
Unlike the wondrous Grand Canyon that is the number-one attraction in Arizona, Oak Creek Canyon is intimate, accessible and enclosed. Romantic hideaways are tucked along 89A, the only road through the canyon, a winding 25-mile byway between Sedona and Flagstaff that has dazzled visitors since 1884.
Driving along, you get the impression that nature parted the canyon walls just for the view. But in truth it was the relentless effect of water on a sandstone fault that created the meandering floor of the canyon and continues to provide sustenance to wildlife, trees, bushes, shrubs and wildflowers.
In Oak Creek Canyon it is possible to completely immerse yourself in nature. Imagine waking up to the sounds of the babbling creek or perhaps to the sight of a great blue heron. Linger in a romantic cottage by the fireplace or spend the day hiking the soaring sandstone cliffs or the undulating trails by the banks of the creek, fishing for trout, picnicking, bird watching, or cooling off in the pristine spring-fed waters of Oak Creek.
At night return to enjoy a Jacuzzi or the expansive, unimpeded star-studded Arizona sky. Oak Creek Canyon is a great place to explore or do nothing at all except read, rest and soak in nature's exquisite draping. In this magical setting, time not only seems to stop but roll back. Innocence returns. You feel embraced by the towering canyon walls, the whispering junipers and pinions and the rushing waters. The mind slips back easily to those unhurried times of childhood when there was time to notice a butterfly, to dream under a tree, to wade in a creek and slide down rocks.
