Oak Creek Canyon Overlook

The overlook stands at the top of the Mogollon Rim, the great escarpment that runs across Arizona and marks the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Here the high, forested plateau breaks off in cliffs and drops toward the lower desert country around Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon is the deep notch that water has cut into that edge.

From this height you can read the whole story of the canyon at a glance, the layered sandstones and limestones in the walls, the volcanic basalt capping the rim, and the green line of the creek far below. The famous switchbacks of Highway 89A were engineered to carry the road up this steep pitch, and from the overlook they twist below like a ribbon dropped down the mountainside.

The red-rock country and the rim above it have long been home to Native peoples. The Sinagua farmed and built in the Verde Valley below, and their descendants are counted among the Hopi and other Pueblo nations today. The Yavapai and Apache peoples also hold deep and continuing ties to this land, living in the region now as the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and Navajo artisans are a familiar presence selling their work at viewpoints like this one.

The overlook itself is a legacy of the automobile age, built to let travelers pause and take in a landscape that generations before crossed on foot and horseback. The stonework and the setting reflect the era when scenic roads and their pullouts first opened Arizona's high country to visitors passing through.

What makes the overlook special is the way it frames the entire canyon at once. Down its center winds Oak Creek, a rare year-round stream whose water feeds the dense green forest of cottonwood, sycamore, and pine that fills the gorge. Against the red and buff cliffs, that green is startling, and from the rim you see the full contrast laid out.

The high rim itself carries a cool ponderosa pine forest, fragrant and shady, a different world from the desert below. The temperature drop between the overlook and the canyon floor can be considerable, and standing at the rail you feel the meeting of two landscapes, the cool green plateau above and the warm red canyon country falling away toward Sedona.

Spring is mild and green, with running water in the creek far below and comfortable days for lingering at the rail. It is a fine time to visit before the crowds build.

Summer brings warm days and afternoon monsoon storms that can sweep dramatically across the canyon, though the rim stays cooler than the desert. Fall is the star season, when the streamside trees far below turn gold and orange and the overlook becomes a favorite perch for taking in the color. Winter is quiet and can be cold and snowy on the rim, with icy stretches on the switchbacks, so travelers check conditions before making the climb.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.