West Fork Trail #108 is closed through Oct. 31 under Coconino National Forest Order 03-04-00-26-007. The order took effect Sept. 26, and the Forest Service says it is there to protect the public from rockfall and flood debris after rain in the West Fork watershed, which the Pocket Fire burned. For most people who know the canyon, that trail is fall color. With it shut, the 2026 season can look like it's over before it began.
The order covers National Forest land within 100 feet of the West Fork drainage, from Forest Road 231 to the wilderness boundary, and the entire trail inside the wilderness. It is also set to end before the color does. The Coconino National Forest fall colors page says the deciduous trees in Oak Creek Canyon "continue to display stunning hues well into November." That leaves two things to plan around this fall: the main creek corridor, which has been open again since September, and the chance that West Fork reopens while the leaves are still turning.
How Small the Closed Area Has Become
Over the summer, the closures covered far more ground. The Forest Service says the Pocket Fire started June 19, seven miles north of Sedona. It grew into the West Fork Wilderness, reached a final size of 27,393 acres, and was fully contained July 30. On July 30 the Forest Service shrank the closure area, but trails including Bear Sign, David Miller, Dry Creek, HS Canyon and Secret Canyon stayed closed for the time being.
On Sept. 14 the Forest Service said Oak Creek and nearly all of its recreation sites would reopen Sept. 17. West Fork, its trail and Call of the Canyon would stay closed until Oct. 1. The Arizona Daily Sun reported that Bear Sign, David Miller, Dry Creek, HS Canyon and Secret Canyon were expected to reopen Oct. 1. Then the Sept. 25 order moved West Fork's end date back to Oct. 31.
The closure has shrunk from a large part of the canyon's watershed to one drainage. The Oct. 31 date is still conditional, though. The order runs through that date unless the Forest Service rescinds it, and it has already been extended once. Treat Nov. 1 as the current end date, not a promise.
The Call of the Canyon Question
The Call of the Canyon day-use area is the parking lot for West Fork, and its status is unclear. The fall colors page was last updated Sept. 22, and it says the picnic site "is closed due to the Pocket Fire." The order signed three days later lists the drainage and the trail but doesn't name the picnic site. The site's own page lists its usual Oct. 1 to March 31 hours of 8 a.m. to dusk. It also lists a $15 daily fee per vehicle for up to five people, plus $4 for each walk-in, bicycle or extra person, and warns that the paved lot fills quickly.
Call the Red Rock Ranger Station, which the order lists as its contact, before you drive up, and treat the picnic site as closed until the Forest Service confirms otherwise.
Where the Color Is Reachable This Month
The sites that reopened in September run along the main creek and SR 89A. These are the current statuses as Coconino National Forest and Arizona State Parks post them:
| Site | Current status | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Halfway Picnic Site | Site Open | Day use along the creek |
| Manzanita Campground | Site Open | Reservations through Recreation.gov, described as in high demand |
| Pine Flat Campground | Site Open | Campsites in the wooded upper canyon and along Oak Creek |
| Oak Creek Vista | Site Open | Overlook and Native American marketplace, generally open year-round; vendors set up occasionally |
| Cave Springs Campground | Site Temporarily Closed | Listed this way on the Forest Service page as of Oct. 13 |
| Banjo Bill | Closed | Separate active-rockfall order, through Jan. 27, 2027 |
| Slide Rock State Park | Open, swim area closed | Swim area closed due to elevated water; vehicle entry only |
The Forest Service suggests two places in the Red Rock Ranger District for fall color, and neither is in the closure area. One is the Oak Creek Canyon scenic drive, the paved 15-mile stretch of SR 89A, which any vehicle can drive. The other is Huckaby Trail #161, which the Forest Service describes as 2.97 miles and moderately strenuous, with creek crossings that may mean wading or boulder-hopping. Neither page has been updated since 2025. Check trail conditions with the ranger station before you go, and check AZ511 for the road. ADOT points drivers there for real-time conditions on SR 89A.
Slide Rock Is an Orchard Without a Harvest This Year
The second gap this season is the apple harvest. Arizona State Parks says plainly that Slide Rock "will not be offering apple picking for the fall 2026 season." That is a real loss for the park, because the orchard is the reason the park exists. Slide Rock was the Pendley Homestead. Frank L. Pendley arrived in the canyon in 1907, planted his first apple orchard in 1912, and built an irrigation system the park still uses.
The swim area is out this fall too. According to Sedona Red Rock News, swimming reopened Sept. 17, but park officials were not recommending it after the Sept. 16 rain washed ash, limbs and dirt into the creek. The park's current page says the swim area is closed due to elevated water levels.
What's left is the orchard itself, the historic cabins and the red rock above the trees, and you can still see all of them. The fall fee, posted for Aug. 22, 2026 through April 2027, is $20 per vehicle for one to four people plus $5 for each additional person. Entry is by vehicle only, with no walk-ins, drop-offs or bicycles. You can't reserve ahead, and the park asks visitors not to wait in line along the roadway or driveway.
The canyon has other orchards. Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek, formerly Garland's Lodge, advertises historic cabins with an orchard and garden. Breakfast and dinner are included with a stay, and booking calendars for October and November 2026 are posted.
Plan the Drive Around Which Kitchens Are Open
Without a West Fork hike to build the day around, a fall trip up the canyon becomes a drive with stops. Those stops keep different hours, and some change at the start of November.
- The Table at Junipine serves Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with lunch from 11 to 3 and dinner from 4 to 8. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.
- Slide Rock Market is listed by the state park as open year-round. Its April through October hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. From November through March it opens weekends only, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market's own site lists daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March through November, weather permitting, so call ahead before driving up on a November weekday.
- Indian Gardens posts Coffee, Breakfast, Lunch and Pizza Night menus online and takes carryout orders.
- Don Hoel's Cabins has a coffee house on site serving espresso drinks, snacks, beer and wine.
The Table is closed Monday and Tuesday, and starting in November, by the park's schedule, Slide Rock Market is closed on weekdays. If you want a sit-down lunch in the canyon, plan for Wednesday through Sunday.
These businesses need the business. In an Aug. 2 Sedona Red Rock News opinion piece, the writer argued that the Pocket Fire and the SR 89A closure cost Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon businesses summer revenue, canceled stays and lost work, and asked locals to help with the recovery. This year, fall color arrives only a few weeks after the creek reopened on Sept. 17.
If West Fork Opens on Schedule
If the Forest Service lets the order end on Oct. 31 as written, West Fork reopens Nov. 1. The fall colors page says the canyon's trees hold color well into November. In that case the trail would reopen with some color still left. The Forest Service notes that the Call of the Canyon lot fills quickly. Before you go, check the Coconino National Forest alerts page for whether the order was lifted, extended or rescinded early.
Until then, the creek sites, the overlook at Oak Creek Vista, the orchard at Slide Rock and the kitchens along SR 89A are open now.
Katrin Themlitz knows the upper canyon from the creek bank to the closing table, from how the canyon's lodges and orchards work to the water and access questions that come with owning a property along Oak Creek. If you're weighing a canyon property, or want to talk through how the past season played out for owners here, Katrin Themlitz would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
