Pocket Fire closes Oak Creek Canyon routes near Sedona and Flagstaff

Travelers counting on Oak Creek Canyon for a scenic run between Sedona and Flagstaff need to reroute now. The Pocket Fire has closed State Route 89A between Fort Tuthill and the north end of Sedona, and Coconino County ordered a GO evacuation for everyone in Oak Creek Canyon between Sedona and Forest Highlands, including dispersed camping around West Fork and nearby areas above the Rim.

The fire was first reported June 19 and had grown to roughly 500 acres by June 20 in the Oak Creek Canyon area, about 7 miles north of Sedona. Coconino National Forest said more resources had arrived to support suppression efforts and that command had shifted to the Northern Arizona Type 3 Incident Management Team, with Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 en route. Forest managers said crews were using a direct extinguishment and full suppression strategy as firefighters prepared for hot, dry conditions and strong afternoon winds.

The closure order reached deep into the canyon’s day-trip core. It shut access to Oak Creek Canyon campgrounds and day-use sites, plus trailheads and recreation stops including Casner, Loy Canyon, Bear Mountain, Fay Canyon, Thunder Mountain, Andante, Sugarloaf, Soldier Pass and Jim Thompson. It also closed Call of the Canyon Picnic Site, Oak Creek Vista, Cave Springs Campground, Bootlegger Picnic Area, Pine Flat Campground, Grasshopper Point Swimming & Picnic Area, Halfway Picnic Site, Encinoso Picnic Site, Manzanita Campground, Midgley Bridge Observation Site and Slide Rock State Park.

For visitors, the practical call is straightforward: do not build a canyon drive, Slide Rock stop, or West Fork hike into a June itinerary until access changes. The county said the American Red Cross planned to open a shelter at Sedona Red Rock High School at 10 p.m. on June 19, underscoring that this was an immediate leave-now order, not a precautionary notice.

The closure order also carried teeth. Violations could be charged as a Class B misdemeanor, with fines up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or up to six months in jail, or both. For anyone headed toward Sedona or Flagstaff, the safest assumption is that Oak Creek Canyon remains a hard stop until the fire is contained and 89A reopens.