Apple Trees at Oak Creek Canyon

Oak Creek Canyon comes as a delightful surprise, and one needs to stop to look.  The drive to Sedona from Flagstaff, Arizona, is along a curvy road, one undergoing serious reconstruction when we drove it (bump, bump, bump!).  There are numerous turn-offs for hiking and viewing along the way, but we chose to stop at the Oak Creek Canyon Park to hike.

Originally, a pioneer family settled in, raising food for itself, such as chickens and apples.  The apple orchard is still there, as are remains of the rather fancy chicken coop (see a later photo) built of the native red stone.  In the 1920s it became a resort, evolving from a homestead to a place for the rich and famous.

Now it is an area to be enjoyed by the rich and poor alike, along with tourists and other such riff-raff.  Definitely a beautiful spot!  Bring a picnic and spend a day – plenty to see and do and enjoy.  It was one of my favorite places on our road trip.