Amid rising temperatures as summer approaches, coming across areas of cold water with space to relax and recreate may seem like an oasis.

Overheated hikers, day visitors and locals looking to get out of the house can rejoice — Sedona and the Verde Valley are riddled with swimming holes that offer a solution to their sweaty conundrum. Two are in Oak Creek Canyon: Slide Rock State Park and Grasshopper Point.

Slide Rock is one of the area’s main tourist attractions.

“I’ve been to Sedona a couple times before, and I remember driving down this valley and seeing people here and swimming in the water,” said Victoria Hughes of Los Alamos, N.M.

Slide Rock gets its name from a naturally occurring slide carved into the smooth rock that cuts through the middle of the park’s swimming area. Visitors are driven down the slide by Oak Creek’s cool water, made apparent by one young visitor’s exclamation as she made her way down.

Flanking the creek are two wide-open sheets of red rock, leaving plenty of space for the area’s many visitors to leave their belongings. However, there is little to no shade.

The slide is located at the northern end of the swimming area. Toward the entrance at the southern end, there are pools of water without a strong current in which visitors can comfortably hang out.

“It’s rare to be somewhere like this in nature,” said Sara Bulthuis, also from Los Alamos. “I’ve been to plenty of water parks before, but this is way better.”

To get to the swimming area, one must descend a set of stairs and go to the left.

At the right of the stairs, there is a 35-foot-tall cliff, which thrill seekers would enjoy.

Alex Smith, visiting for the second time from Kenosha, Wisc., jumped after taking some time to think about it.

“It felt like forever,” Smith said.

Across from the tall face, there are some smaller cliffs for jumping. Back at the main swimming area, there is another popular cliff.

The park is located almost halfway up State Route 89A in the canyon. On the weekend its location is clear because there is almost always traffic to get in. It costs $20 per car [between one and four people per vehicle], or $3 to walk in. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Starting May 26, it is $30 per car.

Oftentimes there are groups who visit the park, which had about 1,207 daily visitors in the 2017 fiscal year — its busiest year in 12 years — according to Michelle Thompson, chief communications officer at Arizona State Parks and Trails.

Even on a cloudy, 80-degree day, like Monday, May 21, there were plenty of people in the park.

Grasshopper Point

Much closer to Sedona proper is Grasshopper Point. Its feel is that of a more typical swimming hole, although unlike other spots in the area, it still does not require much of a hike to get to.

In stark contrast to Slide Rock, there is not much flat space at all for visitors to leave their things, except for one small patch by the water. Otherwise, it is all boulder and rock.

Another big difference is that there is a lot of tree coverage to provide shade. Across from the shore sits the north-facing pink and red cliff face.

It is a much less daunting cliff face than at Slide Rock, and on busy days there is a line to wait in before jumping off from its multiple launch points.

“For me it’s the tree coverage. There’s a lot by the water, and you don’t have to wait in line or walk far, and the cliff jumping is dope,” said Jonathan De Leo of Flagstaff.

De Leo brought his friends from Glenwood Springs, Colo., who enjoyed the afternoon hanging in hammocks no more than 10 feet from the water’s edge.

The main area can fill up quickly, but De Leo said visitors can walk up and down along Oak Creek to find seclusion, as well as waterfalls.

Grasshopper Point is a day use only area that costs $8 per car to get in or $2 to walk up or bicycle in. It opens at
9 a.m. and closes at dusk. The parking lot has 44 spaces and three handicap spaces, with bathrooms in the middle and picnic benches on the outside edges.

There is not always an attendant at the entrance booth, but self payment is encouraged. De Leo, who said Grasshopper Point is his favorite spot to visit from Flagstaff, added that the money goes toward helping maintain the park.

On weekends the line to get into the day use area builds quickly, so an early arrival is suggested. De Leo said many of those who visit come down after not being able to access Slide Rock.

The trail to get to the swimming hole is located at the center of the bottom part of the parking lot. Continue down the path, and at the bottom head left and over a field of boulders.

At the end, the red cliff is visible. The noise of people swimming, chatting and the sound of music make it obvious where to head.

Slide Rock and Grasshopper Point are two of the most popular and well-known swimming holes in Oak Creek Canyon, and each has its own characteristics.

No matter what, both will keep swimmers cool.