Oak Creek (Arizona)

Oak Creek Canyon
South view, from above north terminus (Coconino Plateau) Coconino Sandstone cliffs above Hermit Formation, on west canyon wall
Oak Creek Canyon Location in Arizona, northeast of Verde River
Long-axis direction	North-South
Long-axis length	12 miles (19 km)
Width	0.8 to 2.5 miles (1.3 to 4.0 km)
Geography
Coordinates	34°54′45″N 111°43′37″W / 34.91250°N 111.72694°W / 34.91250; -111.72694Coordinates: 34°54′45″N 111°43′37″W / 34.91250°N 111.72694°W / 34.91250; -111.72694
Traversed by	Arizona State Route 89A
Watercourses	Oak Creek

Oak Creek Canyon is a river gorge located in northern Arizona 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 (21 km) until the highway enters the town of Sedona. The Oak Creek Canyon – Sedona area is second only to Grand Canyon as the most popular tourist destination in Arizona.

Oak Creek Canyon is about 12 miles (19 km) long, ranging in width from 0.8 to 2.5 miles (1.3 to 4.0 km). The depth of the canyon ranges from 800 to 2,000 feet (240 to 610 m). However, due to the faulting that played a major role in its formation, the west rim of the canyon is 700 feet (210 m) higher than the east rim. The average elevation of the west rim is 7,200 feet (2,200 m) while the east rim elevation is 6,500 feet (2,000 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.

Oak Creek enters more open country below Sedona. It meanders past the communities of Page Springs and Cornville, and reaches its confluence with the Verde River about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Cottonwood. In June 2006, the southern portion of the canyon, near Slide Rock State Park, was affected by a 4,300-acre (17 km²) wildfire known as the "Brins Fire".

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.