Oak Creek Homestead

Zoom in to see trails...

Information

Nearby Trails

Status:	Partially Open
Typically Open:	Year Round
Length:	5.55 miles
Highest Elevation:	4020 feet
Duration:	About 2 hours
Shape of Trail:	Out & Back
Best Direction to Travel:	South
Nearest Town:	Cottonwood
Nearest Town w/ Services:	Sedona
Official Road Name:	9845, 9845A, 9845H, 9845N
Management Agency:	Cococino National Forest
District:	Red Rock Ranger District

Highlights

The Oak Creek Trail takes you from Highway 89A (about halfway between Sedona and Cottonwood) almost all the way (you have to hike the last half a mile) to Oak Creek where you'll find the ruins of an old rock-walled house, and a cool stream to soak your feet in.

Video

Route Information

Technical Rating

( MODERATE )

Waypoints

1. Trailhead - Red Rock Loop Rd. (0 mi)

This is one of two trailheads into the Oak Creek Homestead area, and is a great place to air-down the tires for a smoother ride, or air them back up when you are done. This section of the trail, up to where it hits the "Y" is more technical than using the other trailhead off 89A (see waypoint 19), with a few small hills with small steps that may require the use of four-wheel-drive.

Directions to Trailhead

Starting Point: West Sedona, AZ or Cottonwood, AZ

From West Sedona take 89A south to Red Rock Loop Rd. Drive pass Elmersville Rd. then look for the trailhead on the right side of the road about 1350 feet southwest of Elmersville Rd. If coming from Cottonwood, take 89A north to Red Rock Loop, then follow the directions above. Alternately you can use a trailhead directly off 89A that is 8.5 miles north of Cornville Rd. in Cottonwood, or 7 miles south of Sedona Red Rock High School.

Camping

Not allowed

Land Use Issues

Due to Oak Creek being used as a watershed, and issues caused by people driving their vehicles through it, a gate has been placed about half a mile from the creek to prevent motorized vehicles from access it. This was done in the Spring of 2016; however, it had been noted on the forest services maps for a few years prior that the gate is where the trail officially ends. For more information see the Red Rock Ranger District.

More Information

Trail Reviews (3)

Questions & Answers (1)

Q: The Cliffhanger section is plenty wide enough for a stock full-size pickup truck? Looks a bit narrow at spots, with no extra room to dodge problems.

–Doug Begley (04/29/2018)

–S.J. Hollist (04/30/2018)

Writer Information

S.J. Hollist

Mapping Crew - Arizona and Florida

I've been writing for TrailsOffroad since August 2015. Before that, I had been off-road in places like central and northern Utah, east and west Texas, and central and northern Arizona. I've even driven off-road on an island in the Caribbean (the one time I've driven a Jeep off-road). I joined TrailsOffroad because it combines my three favorite hobbies: Off-roading obviously; I've also been blogging for most of my life - even before it was done on the internet (ever heard of a dial-up BBS?) - and even wrote a political column for Examiner.com for a few years; I also have experience with building websites and promoting on social media. These experiences made writing for Trails Offroad a good fit for me, and I've been enjoying it very much. When I'm not working at my IT job, or playing with my kids, I go on runs with a group of people who like to collaborate on [AZFJ.org](http://azfj.org), and run my own online marketing and web content company (my wife calls it my hobby business) [The Rotisory Foundation](http://rotisory.spaldam.com) (named after a BBS I used to run back in High School and College before the Internet became overwhelmingly popular). I'm a big Toyota fan. I've owned two 4x4 Tacomas, an older 4x4 Toyota pickup, and I'm now on my second FJ Cruiser (the first was a TRD SE 6 speed, that I got rid of after my twins were born). You can learn more about my adventures at [SJsAdv.com](http://sjsadv.com).

My Trails Offroad

Cottonwood, Arizona (Coconino County)