Best Swimming Holes in Sedona & the Verde Valley
15 natural swimming holes · 2026 guide
In red-rock country, water is the attraction: Oak Creek's shaded pools below Sedona, the Verde River's cottonwood banks, and spring-fed creeks cutting through desert canyons. Slide Rock's natural chute is the famous one, but locals spread out along Oak Creek and West Clear Creek all summer.
Top swimming holes
- Encinoso
A quieter Oak Creek swimming spot tucked between Slide Rock and Grasshopper Point, with deep green pools beneath the canyon's ponderosa canopy.
- Slide Rock State Park
A natural waterslide carved into red sandstone by Oak Creek, where a thin coat of algae makes the smooth rock slick enough to ride down into a deep swimming hole.
- Verde Hot Springs
Graffiti-covered stone tubs built into the ruins of a 1920s resort, perched on the banks of the Verde River in a cottonwood grove.
- Bull Pen (West Clear Creek)
West Clear Creek's most beloved swimming stretch, with tiered turquoise pools, a rope swing, and cliff ledges tucked into a soaring sandstone canyon.
- Dead Horse Ranch State Park
A Verde River state park where the river braids into lagoons and shaded swimming holes beneath giant cottonwoods.
- Fossil Creek (Waterfall Trail)
A spring-fed creek so clear and blue it looks tropical, pouring over travertine terraces into a series of swimmable pools.
- Fossil Springs (Bob Bear Trail)
At the bottom of the steep Bob Bear Trail, Fossil Springs erupts from the canyon wall at 20,000 gallons a minute, feeding jade pools in an old-growth riparian grove.
- Gap Creek
Gap Creek tumbles down from the Verde Rim to meet the Verde River in a boulder-strewn canyon.
- Grasshopper Point
A deep, cliff-ringed pool where Oak Creek squeezes between towering red rock walls just north of Sedona.
- Red Rock Crossing (Crescent Moon Ranch)
Oak Creek slides past the base of Cathedral Rock at this famously photographed crossing, with wide shallow stretches for wading and deeper pockets for swimming.
- Sycamore Canyon pools (Parsons Trail)
Sycamore Canyon's wilderness pools along the Parsons Trail, reached by a shaded 4-mile hike from the trailhead.
- The Crack at Wet Beaver Creek
A 3.5-mile desert hike ends at a pour-over where Wet Beaver Creek has carved a narrow slot and a deep, cliff-lined pool known as The Crack.
- Verde River (Childs)
The Verde River near the old Childs power plant, with riverside pools and a historic industrial backdrop.
- Verde River at Beasley Flat
Beasley Flat is a quiet Verde River access where the river braids around cottonwood-shaded gravel bars.
- West Fork of Oak Creek
The first few miles of the West Fork trail follow a spring-fed creek through a narrow, fern-draped canyon, with countless wading pools and a few genuinely swimmable holes.
Looking for more? Browse swimming holes in all 50 states or explore by travel region.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to swim near Sedona?
May through September. Creek water is snowmelt-cold in spring and warms through summer; monsoon storms from July can trigger dangerous flash floods.
Do Sedona swimming holes require reservations or permits?
Slide Rock and Red Rock Crossing are state/fee areas, and a Red Rock Pass or equivalent is required at many national forest trailheads. Arrive early — parking at popular Oak Creek sites fills fast.
Are Sedona swimming holes safe?
Flash floods are the headline risk: never enter canyon creeks when storms are upstream. Algae and bacteria advisories occasionally close Slide Rock after heavy use or rain — check conditions before you go.