After three months of closures following the Slide Fire, rangers at Slide Rock State Park finally reopened access to the water.
The orchards, visitor center and historic buildings at the park were open all summer at a reduced fee, but the park’s major draw — the natural rock water slide and the stretch of water upstream and downstream — had been blocked off. Accordingly, attendance at the park was well below average.
While most Verde Valley residents have our favorite spots along Oak Creek, Beaver Creek and the Verde River, Slide Rock State Park is vital to our economy, as important for drawing tourists to our communities as Montezuma Castle, Tuzigoot, Montezuma Well and Fort Verde or the wineries in Page Springs and the galleries in Jerome.
Last week, I started getting text messages and social media notifications from friends about the park’s status and hopes that it was merely the first step to reopening all access in Oak Creek Canyon.
Officials with the U.S. Forest Service had closed canyon access ostensibly to prevent possible injuries from rockfalls or flash floods during the annual monsoon that they theorized would be worse due to the fire’s damage.
There was a rockfall at the switchbacks and another near Junipine near some homes, but for the most part, the canyon remained relatively safe and State Route 89A was free from debris. With the monsoon rains gone, opening the canyon is now just a matter of agency agreement, paperwork and some heavy lifting to remove all the barriers.
Now in the start of fall, a final dip in Oak Creek or a hike along the trail as the leaves begin to change color is an itch most of us can’t scratch until officials give us the go-ahead.
Canyon businesses depend on Phoenician refugees and other tourists to stay afloat during the summer between the spring and fall tourist seasons. Without their numbers, many canyon businesses struggled to stay open and pay their employees — our friends and neighbors. With the fall tourist season in full swing, canyon businesses and those in Sedona, Cottonwood and Camp Verde that accommodate the overflow are desperate for the revenues denied due to fire danger and the aftermath.
We hope that state and federal officials open access along Oak Creek Canyon posthaste. We knew as the Slide Fire burned this summer that the damage would be felt for years to come. With the worst environmental damage now behind us, it’s the time for the Verde Valley to begin our economic and recreational recovery.
