Waters open for swimming, but not recommended by state park officials

“Slide Rock State Park is completely open,” Arizona State Parks & Trails spokeswoman Michelle Thompson said Friday, Sept. 18. “There’s no closures at all.”

Swimming in Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park reopened on Thursday, Sept. 17, however that comes with a major caveat, according to Thompson.

“We’re not recommending swimming in the park currently, and this is mostly because of heavy rains on Wednesday, Sept. 16,” she said. “So right now there’s a lot of ash, some tree limbs, some just churned up dirt and remains from the Pocket Fire in the water. But you can come down to the water, you can stand in the water if you really wanted to. You could swim. We’re just not recommending it.”

Thompson said that she is optimistic that water quality for swimmers will return to normal by the spring.

“It’s really hard to predict with a burn scar like that because it’ll take some time for the vegetation to regrow,” she said. “It has already started regrowing up in the Oak Creek area where the burn happened. So when we see that going through the winter months and vegetation regrowing in the spring, it will likely decrease the amount of silt and dirt and everything that’s washing down when we have these rain events, but it just really depends on the severity of the storms and how quickly that vegetation comes back.”

The park closed Friday, June 19, after USFS officials closed Oak Creek Canyon due to the Pocket Fire. State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon between Sedona and Interstate 17 interchange south of Flagstaff was closed to all but canyon residents until July 13.

The Coconino National Forest announced that the Burned Area Emergency Response team “determined that only a small percentage of the Oak Creek watershed actually burned in the 27,393-acre Pocket Fire, so the flood risk is now equal to what might occur during a normal monsoon storm, not any different to any year without a wildfire,” according to a Sept. 14 press release.

However West Fork, Call of the Canyon, Bear Sign, David Miller, Dry Creek, HS Canyon, and Secret Canyon trails will remain closed until Thursday, Oct. 1, because those areas had greater fire damage and have higher flooding risk.

Wildlife

Thompson said that she is not aware of any major fish die offs in the park from the runoff of the Pocket Fire burn scar area, “though something that does unfortunately happen sometimes after a fire of that nature when everything’s coming down into the creek.”

Concern about the Pocket Fire’s effect on wildlife has extended beyond Oak Creek. Stevie Kelso, a community liaison for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, told the NEWS in August that the fire displaced wildlife, including black bears. She attributed an uptick in bear sightings in Sedona neighborhoods to the displacement. Residents have posted more bear footage than usual on social media, with nearly a dozen sightings reported online, according to a NEWS story Aug. 13, which including security camera footage from residents.

There has not been any major changes in wildlife sightings or behavior in Slide Rock State Park in recent months, Thompson said.

“I haven’t heard of an increase of bears,” in Slide Rock State Park since the Pocket Fire was put out, Thompson said. “We do have some bear sightings from time to time, especially because we have the historic apple orchards there. And when we have apples on the trees, there are a couple bears that the park staff have reported in the orchards enjoying some of our fruit.”

State Park Events

“Saturday, Oct. 3, is Slide Rock State Park’s Fall Fest,” from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thompson said. “It’s a really great opportunity to come out and explore the park, see some of the historic structures we have, tour the historic apple orchards, go down to the creek, enjoy the red rocks and the scenery. We’ll have vendors on site, so you can learn about the area and the ecology, and some of our community partners, and just get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather with your family.”

The Oak Creek Collaborative Cleanup of the park will be on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to noon. Supplies are provided along with raffle prizes for volunteers who want to help keep out public lands clean. Signup online on Slide Rock State Park’s Facebook page.

“We have a lot of parks in the Verde Valley,” Thompson said. “Saturday, Sept. 26 will be Verde River Day at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, and that is a really fun event with a lot of birding and other nature components.”

The schedule for Fall Fest is:

■8:30 a.m. Ranger Tori Bird Walk

■10 a.m. Rangers Cat & Sarah Homestead History

■10:30 a.m. Ranger Anna Orchard Walk

■11:30 a.m. Ranger Tori Owl Talk

■12:30 p.m. Sedona History Talk by the Arizona Historical Society

■2 p.m. Patrick Pynes Pollinator Talk

“We did move to fall prices just because we’ve had so many closures and just changes with the creek,” Thompson said about the entrance fee that is currently $20 per vehicle for up to four people, it’s $5 per additional person.

Verde River Day at Dead Horse State Park in Cottonwood runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Arizona Game and Fish Department hosts a free fishing clinic from 8 a.m. to noon.

“In addition to the fishing clinic, enjoy fun family activities like canoeing, sandcastle building, food vendors, a rubber duck race, and over 40 nonprofit nature exhibits,” according to park officials. “This year, stay to hear the announcement of Dead Horse Ranch State Park’s birding photo contest winners.”

For more information about Verde River Day, contact the Greater Verde Valley Chamber of Commerce at 928-634-7593.