Red Rock State Park
— — the quiet side of the red rocks.
Not only on a wall.
“A 286-acre nature preserve and environmental education center on the south end of Oak Creek's run through Sedona. The park is the slow version of the red rock country: a riparian corridor, cottonwood and Arizona sycamore along the water, a network of easy loop trails, and a visitor center that runs guided birding walks at dawn. None of the famous formations are inside the boundary. The point of the place is the creek and the field below the cliffs.
Red Rock State Park, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Red Rock State Park is a 286-acre nature preserve operated by Arizona State Parks and Trails on the lower Oak Creek south of Sedona, in Yavapai County at roughly 4,000 feet elevation. The land was assembled from the Smoke Trail Ranch, gifted to the state in stages, and opened to the public in 1991. About five miles of interconnected loop trails follow the creek and climb the low benches above it. The park is day-use only and focuses on environmental education; the visitor center runs guided nature walks and dawn bird walks throughout the year.
Oak Creek runs through the heart of the park for about two miles, lined with Fremont cottonwood, Arizona sycamore, and Goodding's willow. The riparian band is narrow but unbroken, which is why the park reads as one of the better birding corridors in central Arizona; species lists kept by the visitor center top 150 birds across the year. The creek is perennial, fed by springs upstream in Oak Creek Canyon, and runs cool through the summer. Wading is not permitted inside the park boundary, by design.
The park is open daily, with a per-vehicle entry fee currently around eight dollars. The visitor center holds a small museum on the geology and ecology of the Verde Valley, and a ranger-led nature walk leaves the center most mornings. Pets are allowed on leash on most trails. Dawn bird walks run several days a week from the visitor center and are the reason many locals come; the Yavapai sun lights the cliffs above the creek before it reaches the water. Bicycles, swimming, and camping are not permitted.