Slide Rock

by Tom Kelly

Title

Slide Rock

Artist

Tom Kelly

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

After 2 days of snow just recently, Slide Rock State Park was closed as roads were slippery. The morning after brought sunshine and incredible photos, as well as very tricky hiking. The red rock surrounding Slide Rock was very slick. A wonderful day with my fave conditions; snow plus the red rocks led to this shot .Just north of Sedona in Arizona, is about 12 miles of beauty called Oak Creek Canyon. The drive in winter has streams, and sometimes waterfalls between beautiful red rock walls full of spectacular switchbacks, and scenery that is tough to top. The depth of the Oak Creek Canyon ranges between 800 to 2000 feet. Sedona is the second most popular destination in Arizona with vistors. One look , and you will understand why. The canyon is serene, calling, and calming. Oak Creek, a tributary of the Verde River, flows along the bottom of the canyon, and is always flowing here in the high desert of Northern Arizona. The creek is primarily responsible for carving this majestic masterpiece of nature, although movement along the Oak Creek Fault is believed to have had a role as well. Geologic evidence suggests the formation of Oak Creek Canyon along the fault about 8 to 10 million years ago. The walls of Oak Creek Canyon, which have been eroded by wind, water, and time, are Enchanting. They are composed of Palezoic Sedimentary rocks. After the canyon was formed, it was filled in by gravel, dirt and a series of Lava flows. Sometime between 6 and 8 million years ago, the fault became active again and the canyon started to change along the fault zone. The motion resulted in the west rim being about 700 feet higher than the east rim.
At the northern end of the canyon, you can find exposures of Kaibab Limestone. The most prominent rocks at the southern end near Sedona are reddish orange to white colored. They are primarily Permian Coconino Sandstone, as well as the red sandstones of the Permian Schnebly Hill Formation. The youngest rocks are basalt lava flows which are about 6 million years old. A part of the canyon has been designated Federal wilderness area as part of the Red Rock – Secret Mountain Wilderness area. There are also several campgrounds, some picnic spots, and numerous hiking and photographic opportunities.
A Natural water slide, Slide Rock State Park lies in the canyon about 7 miles north of Sedona, as well as my fave photo area” WestFork” which is also called “ Call of the Canyon.” This trail is a must see , with beautiful Fall colors and dynamic winter photo scenes.. It is 14 miles long with very narrow sheer walls in an incredible canyon filled with a meandering creek, wildlife, fallen trees, and logs, and very slippery conditions in winter. The path crosses the creek many times so walking sticks, good shoes can be very helpful. The sun in Arizona can be very intense so remember hats, sunscreen, and for you photographers, polarizers, ND filters, and a good tripod. The hiking is pleasant, and the photography is grand, although both Slide, and Westfork fill up quickly, so get there early, and be prepared for an awesome day!

Uploaded

December 26th, 2011

Statistics

Viewed 284 Times  -  Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/25/2024 at 6:17 PM

Colors

Embed

Share

Sales Sheet

Tags