Upon exiting Jerome, SR 89A heads northeast through the Verde Valley. The historic route was designated on May 13, 1992, by ADOT and is about 10 miles long.
After SR 89A and Historic US 89A enter the town of Clarkdale, SR 89A turns southeast at a roundabout with Clarkdale Parkway. The route continues toward the southeast through Clarkdale before entering the town of Cottonwood. There, the highway starts heading east at Cottonwood Street before reaching an intersection with Main Street. As it enters the city of Sedona, the route is known as the Si Birch Memorial Highway. The route continues east through Sedona, providing access to the Sedona Airport. SR 89A continues toward the east through Sedona to an intersection with SR 179, which heads south from this intersection through the southern part of Sedona to provide access to I-17.
History
thumb|left|SR 89A south of Sedona
The routing of SR 89A was first defined as a state highway in 1927 as SR 79 by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). At the time, only the portion from Prescott to Clarkdale was built, but the remaining portion to Flagstaff had been planned. By 1929, the highway had been extended north to Sedona, although the entire highway was not paved at this time. A graded dirt road was built the following year between Flagstaff and Sedona. The southern half of the section between Sedona and Flagstaff had been improved to a gravel road by 1934, with the northern half under construction. The next year, the construction on the northern section near Flagstaff was complete. The southern end of the highway near Prescott and the section between Jerome and Cottonwood had been paved by this time. By 1938, the entire route had been paved.
By 1941, the highway was redesignated from SR 79 to US 89A. Before the establishment of the route for I-17, the only route to Flagstaff was through Prescott. There were two routes available: US 89A through Jerome, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon or north through Chino Valley via US 89 to US 66. The route was redesignated from US 89A to SR 89A in 1993.
Before 2001, SR 89A had veered south into the granite dells near Watson Lake, but due to an aging Granite Creek bridge and increased traffic, Yavapai County acquired the necessary land to realign SR 89A away from the dells and near the airport.
Junction list
|type=incomplete
|road=McConnell Drive
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of freeway
Spur route
State Route 89A Spur (SR 89A Spur or SS 89A) is a unsigned highway routed along Fain Road in Prescott Valley. SR 89A Spur was originally established on July 16, 2004, over a small section of Fain Road immediately east of the intersection with SR 89A proper. The route was extended over the remainder of Fain Road to SR 69 on August 18, 2011. The road was originally two lanes wide but has since been widened to a four-lane divided highway. Its primary purpose is as an eastern bypass around Prescott. The Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization has planned a freeway to connect SR 169 and SR 89A via Fain Road/SR 89A Spur as part of their 2025 regional plan.