Oak Creek Canyon

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.

Geography

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

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

Oak Creek may refer to:

Streams

Towns

Other

See also

Oak Creek (White River)

Oak Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is a tributary of the White River.

Oak Creek was named for the oak trees along its course.

See also

References

Oak Creek (Marys River)

Oak Creek is a short tributary of Marys River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning in the Cardwell Hills northwest of Corvallis, the creek flows generally south through the McDonald State Forest to near Bald Hill. It then flows southeast through the west side of the city and the Oregon State University campus to enter the river near Reser Stadium and Avery Park. It passes under U.S. Route 20, concurrent here with Oregon Route 34, between the stadium and Marys River, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from its confluence with the Willamette River.

The creek is about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long. Named tributaries of Oak Creek from source to mouth are Alder, Skunk, and Mulkey creeks. The total length of the main stem plus tributaries is about 8 miles (13 km).

Irish Bend Covered Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that spans Oak Creek on university property. Originally a bridge over Willamette Slough near Monroe, it was moved to Oak Creek in 1989. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.