It’s beautiful, it’s popular, but Slide Rock State Park is one of the few Arizona state parks that really have nothing to offer people in wheelchairs. As the name implies, Slide Rock Park offers guests the ability to visit a section of Oak Creek that over time has naturally carved a fun and refreshing series of water slides and pools for we mere humans to enjoy. Unfortunately the creek is down there and park is up above.

The park begins on a plateau on east side of Oak Creek, where homesteaders built a farm in the early 1900′s. The park people have put in a nice asphalt trail that leads through the homestead. At the far end of the trail (appx 1/4 mile), there is a set of stairs down to the creek below. Unless you have two good spotters with strong backs, forget it.

Perhaps as a token gesture, and so you do not demand your eight dollars entry fee back, the park people have put in a “wheelchair accessible look out” where you can see how much fun everyone is having below. I was tempted to take a leak.

Off to the side of the lookout, is a narrow dirt trail, which we naturally decided to explore. It follows the side of the canyon and in about 100 yards comes to a rock outcrop. Check your brakes, because one slip and you will get to enjoy the rocks 200 feet below with a great impact.

Slide Rock State Park doesnt offer any wheelchair access to Oak Creek, but the view is scenic.

One good thing about going to slide rock is the drive itself. From Sedona you are in for a real treat as you head up state Route 89B towards Flagstaff. The winding road takes you through the gorgeous canyon with its sheer cliffs of amazing colors. As the road ascends and descends down towards the creek, you wont beleive you are in Arizona.

I’m the type that likes to get my feet wet.  Unfortunately none of the parks have much access to the river.  Red Rock State Park has a great trail,  and if you are adventurous you can forge the river at  Cresent Moon Picnic Area, but the slickest way to enjoy the water as I’m doing below is to continue past Slide Rock Park  towards Flagstaff a few miles.  Along the way you will see numerous driveways leading to cabins and lodges.  Most have a concrete driveway that forges the creek.  So we just parked and rolled right in!

Photo taken from a driveway that forges Oak Creek. Perfect wheelchair access.

Slide Rock State Park is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

Up until recently I thought the only two parks offering any kind of wheelchair accessibility in Sedona were Slide Rock State Park and Red Rock State Park. This changed when I visited the little known Crescent Moon Picnic Area. I was very impressed. It is not perfect, but if you have some tenacity and some friends you are in for a real treat.

First off, Crescent Moon is not easy to find. You will not see any signs that jump out at you. But most local maps show its location. The park is surrounded by suburban homes on the west side of Sedona. To enter the park, there is an $8 per car fee.

The park consists of two concrete pathways that offer nice flat wheelchair access. They are a little narrow but there is plenty of shoulder room for walkers to use as a wheelchair passes. The first path starts in a couple of places around the first parking area you come to. This path ends at the creek’s edge. The only problem here is that the sidewalk is 10 feet above the water level and 20 feet back. There is enough trees and bushes to block what would be a beautiful view, and unfortunately there is no way to get right to the water.

If you continue down the park’s road, you come to the final parking area. In front of you is a huge grassy area the size of a soccer field, and on the horizon is perhaps the best view from anywhere of Cathedral Rock. It is truly a postcard view. The concrete path goes around the perimeter of the huge field, and on the very far side you can hear the creek in the distance. There is a dirt path heading down towards the water, and this is where the adventure begins.

The first 30′ of the path down to the creek is pretty steep. We traversed it backwards with Karla working as a human brake. From here, you are surrounded by large shade trees and immediately feel a cool breeze. The path is now dirt and sand with a lot of a tree roots for speed bumps. We pushed about 100 feet east along the path and came to an open area exposing the creek. Finally, a place in Sedona where a wheelchair can get near to Oak Creek.

By no means is it easy to get down the last 20 feet to the water from here. It is loose rock and a little steep but we finally made it to Oak Creek. From here, the creek is flowing across flat rocks and we were able to roll across. Boy is it worth it. Sitting in the creek looking east is a gorgeous view of Cathedral Rock. Looking west is a small waterfall that opens into a beautiful pool. We swam and relaxed in the sun and shade for the rest of the day.

We were highly motivated to make friends because we knew that getting back up the creek bed was going to require assistance. Crossing the creek in a manual wheelchair is actually not too difficult if you scout out a descent path. The water is maybe 10 inches deep and the surface of the rock is quite smooth in places. No doubt this accessibility will vary depending on the rain fall, but in mid-May, we survived the raging rapids and reached the other side.

So here is my recap of Sedona: Slide Rock State Park offers a nice view of the gorgeous slide rocks below where able bodied people can enjoy the water. It really is not accessible. Red Rock State Park has a great path for wheelchairs. You can explore and see some pretty scenic views but like Slide Rock, a wheelchair can not get near the water.

Crescent Moon offers a spectacular view, good paths and the chance to get a little wet. Its the latter that makes this place a winner in my book.

Visit My Sedona Flickr Set.

Crescent Moon Picnic Area is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

[8/1/08 Editor's note; Venture Travel Magazine published an article by your's truly in it's Aug/Sep edition about El Portal and Sedona.]

El Portal Inn is one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. It has good access blended with a charming casual atmosphere. If you are looking for a place to bring someone special El Portal is definantly is a winner.

The award-winning property consists of 12 completely unique rooms surrounding a courtyard. Located on the ground floor is the Adobe Room. The room is the inn’s one accessible room. It is also one of the inn’s pet-friendly room. The room has a queen size bed featuring hand carved wooden posts and rustic wrought iron accents. If there is one complaint to be said it is that like many upscale resorts and inns, the bed is too high for many people to transfer to and from. I often wish upscale locations would include a 3-4 inch platform which could be pulled out from beneath the bed, and we could roll up on the platform in order to transfer. Once we leave just tuck it back under. But this is my one and only qualm with El Portal.

The room has a nice fireplace and French doors that open to a nice little side yard. Perfect for pooches! What makes the Adobe room really a grade A accessible room is the bathroom. The counter is accessible and the walk-in closet offers good access. The roll-in shower is really impressive. It’s a 5-star stall for sure.

There is no shortage of places to eat around Sedona but for breakfast El Portal is where you want to be. They serve an elaborate breakfast that is absolutely delicious. When the weather permits, breakfast is served in the courtyard. Everything is very fresh, hot and tasty.

Within rolling distance to El Portal is the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village and the Los Abrigados Resort. Tlaquepaque is pretty interesting even if shopping is not your bag. The plaza consists of Spanish-style buildings and open court yards. There is often musicians playing around some of the dining establishments. Los Abrigados is a fine resort which also has some accessible rooms, but best of all is their Italian restaurant, Joey’s. Very good food.

What’s To Do
If you are planning a trip to Sedona, you will probably find information about Slide Rock State Park. Accessibility here is not much to speak of, so take a look at Red Rock State Park and Crescent Moon Picnic Grounds.

www.elportalsedona.com has good photos of the Adobe Room and the property.

El Portal Inn is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

I have been writing quite a bit about Sedona and cool places around the area to explore. There are many really nice places to stay but if you want a basic room with a roll-in shower, then Los Abrigados Lodge should be considered.

First, do not mistake Los Abrigados Lodge with the Los Abrigados Resort. there is considerable difference. The lodge offers basic hotel rooms, and the resort is very upscale.

But if you are coming to Sedona to explore the outdoors, it may not make sense to pay for a posh room that sits empty. Los Abrigados Lodge is right on the main road, and you can roll out your front door and get to many of the little stores and restaurants. Another benefit is that the free trolley has a stop right in front of you. In the summer of 2008, I paid appx $120/night.

One word of caution, Sedona is time-share oriented, and everyone going to offer you a better rate if you are willing to endure a tortuous sales pitch. Los Abrigados is no exception.

Los Abrigados Web Site

Los Abrigados Lodge is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

Editor’s note: This entry marks the first of hopefully many future essays by contributing writers.

By: Laurie Zentner

The Cresent Moon Picnic Area is located just east of Red Rock State Park on Oak Creek. Which puts it just outside of Sedona.

The location has a great view of Cathedral Rock. The picnic tables and bathrooms are accessible, and there are small accessible paths winding around that area. If you can transfer out of your chair, there is a small bridge which you can sit on and put your feet in the water of a small creek (not Oak Creek itself). At the far eastern end there is a field, with amazing views. There is a trail that goes along the river leaving from the far end of the field which we were able to traverse with the all-terrain wheelchair. One path goes out to a rock ledge which is sometimes covered with water. Beyond that trails lead upstream, but none are accessible. For the able-bodied, there are beautiful rock stacks that people put together with the volcanic rock just beyond the rock ledge. We have combined a day here with trips to Sedona, Cottonwood/Jerome, and Prescott.

Coconino Forest Web Page

Cresent Moon Picnic Area is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

Everybody and their mother goes to Slide Rock Park when they do Sedona. Forget that and go to the local hangout – Red Rock Park. The area isn’t quite as scenic but its plenty accessible.

I haven’t explored all the paths but there is a great wooden bridge over the creek and the trail I did follow has some really nice views. The trail goes to dirt after the bridge and we still pushed 1/4 mile up into the valley. With some better tires I could have gone even further.

Its worth driving up to Slide Rock Park and you can poke around a little at the park itself but Red Rock offers far more independent travel.

Note: Unless you are pressed for time, the only way to really get to Sedona is to go to Prescott and take State Route 89A up thru Jerome. That’s a great ride!

Red Rock State Park is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.