Everything about Oak Creek Canyon totally explained
Oak Creek Canyon is a 12 mile (20 km) long river
gorge located along the
Mogollon Rim in northern
Arizona located between the cities of
Flagstaff and
Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the
Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty.
State Route 89A enters the canyon on its north end via a series of
hairpin turns before traversing the bottom of the canyon for about 13 miles (20.8 kilometers) until the highway enters the town of Sedona. The Oak Creek Canyon-Sedona area is the second most popular tourist destination in Arizona, second only to the Grand Canyon.
Geography
Oak Creek Canyon is about 12 miles (19.2 km) long and ranges in width from 0.8 to 2.5 miles (1.3 to 4 km). The depth of the canyon ranges from 800-2,000 feet (240 to 600 meters). However, due to the
faulting that played a major role in the formation of Oak Creek Canyon, the west rim of the canyon is 700 feet (210 meters) higher than the east rim. The average elevation of the west rim is 7,200 feet (2,160 meters) while the east rim elevation is 6,500 feet (1,950 m)
Oak Creek, a tributary of the
Verde River, flows along the bottom of the canyon and is one of the few perennial streams in the
high desert region of northern Arizona. Oak Creek is largely responsible for carving the modern Oak Creek Canyon although movement along the Oak Creek Fault, a 30 mile (48 km) long north-south normal fault line, is thought to have played a role as well.
Below Sedona, Oak Creek enters more open country. It meanders past the communities of
Page Springs and
Cornville, Arizona, and reaches its
confluence with the
Verde River about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of
Cottonwood, Arizona .
In June 2006, the southern portion of the canyon, near Slide Rock State Park, was affected by a 4,300 acre (17.4 square km) wildfire known as the "Brins Fire".
Geology
Geologic evidence suggests the formation of an ancestral Oak Creek Canyon along the Oak Creek Fault about eight to ten
million years ago. The ancestral Oak Creek Canyon was then filled in by gravel deposits and a series of lava flows between six and eight mya during the
Miocene epoch. About this time, the Oak Creek Fault became active again and the modern Oak Creek Canyon began to develop along the fault zone as a result of the erosional action of Oak Creek. The normal, down-to-the-east motion of the Oak Creek Fault during the most recent faulting period resulted in the west rim of the canyon being about 700 feet (210 meters) higher than the east rim.
The spectacularly eroded walls of the canyon are formed mostly of
Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Exposures of the
Kaibab Limestone (the
geologic formation found at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon) and the
Toroweap Formation are found at the northern end of the canyon but not in the southern. The more predominant rock units exposed in the cliffs of southern Oak Creek Canyon are the buff to white colored, frequently
cross-bedded Permian Coconino Sandstone and the red
sandstones of the Permian
Schnebly Hill Formation. Unlike all the other formations exposed in Oak Creek Canyon, the Schnebly Hill Formation isn't exposed at the Grand Canyon. The youngest rocks exposed in the canyon are a series of
basalt lava flows that form the east rim of the canyon. The youngest of these flows is an estimated 6 million years old.
Recreation
Oak Creek Canyon is located within the
Coconino National Forest. Portions of the canyon have been designated federal
wilderness areas as part of the
Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness. The
United States Forest Service operates several campgrounds, picnic areas, and recreation areas within the canyon.
Slide Rock State Park, home to a natural water slide along Oak Creek, is also located within Oak Creek Canyon. Other recreational activities in the canyon include
swimming and
fishing in Oak Creek and hiking the many trails that lead into side canyons or up to the rim of the canyon. The trail leading the first 3 miles (4.8 km) up the West Fork of Oak Creek, a 14 mile (22.4 km) long narrow side canyon, is the most popular trail in the Coconino National Forest.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Oak Creek Canyon'.
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