Havasupai Arizona Waterfalls
Showing posts with label Arizona Hiking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona Hiking. Show all posts
Adventures in Southern California now has its own online newspaper
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Adventures in Southern California is now an online newspaper. I've compiled literally hundreds of twitter feeds, rss feeds and hiking blogs into a digital newspaper. I've collected feeds from all over the world that focus on hiking, backpacking, gear reviews, biking, climbing, rafting, boarding, food and traveling with a special emphasis on Southern California. I'm adding new websites to my feed every day. Feel free to send me a message if you would like to add your website or blog to my feed. The newspaper updates every 24 hours with all new content, so check in as frequently as you like. If you follow the archives tab near the top of the newspaper, you can check out all of the hiking stories you might have missed. Check it out here: https://paper.li/AdventureSoCal/1394392412
Fossil Falls. Strawberry, Arizona
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| Fossil Falls. Strawberry Arizona Waterfall |
Arizona is extremely dry for most of the year. Most people hear the word 'Arizona', and they immediately think of the desert or the Grand Canyon. But Arizona has some of the best waterfalls in the United States. Fossil Falls is a pristine, emerald green waterfall located
in Arizona’s Coconino National Forest. I've hiked all over the Southwestern
United States and I've never seen another waterfall quite like it. The falls
are only about 25 feet tall, but they are fed by an underground spring and the
volume of water in the creek is impressive by any standard. Fossil Creek also has some of the best
swimming holes in the Southwestern United States. There are caves you can swim inside, rocks to
climb, cliffs for jumping and plenty of sunny spots for lounging and picnicking
along the creek. In the summer, you can expect that Fossil Falls will be very
crowded. The reviews on Yelp make it sound like a madhouse. Several reviews
mentioned open drug use and college kids partying and blasting music. My girlfriend and I made the hike on a weekday
in October of 2013 and we never ran into a single other person on the trail or
at the falls. It was absolutely glorious. We had the entire place all to ourselves.
The large amount of calcium and dissolved
minerals in the water gives Fossil Falls its distinct turquoise color. The
pictures barely do it justice. Fossil Falls is absolutely breathtaking when you
see it up close. The hike, although daunting, is beautiful too. The best part of the trail definitely starts when you reach the floor of the canyon and hike along the creek. There are several camp spots cut out of the underbrush. According to the Parks Department, camping is permitted along Fossil Creek South of the Fossil Creek Bridge. Your campsite must be at least 100 feet from the creek and fires are strictly prohibited. I easily could have spent 2 or 3 days camping in the canyon and had a great time.
The road from Strawberry Arizona to Fossil Falls is closed
until further notice. This leaves two options for reaching the falls. You can
either hike 8 miles round-trip into the canyon, or attempt the notorious 16
miles dirt road. I've read in many places that you must have a truck or 4-wheel
drive to do the road. We opted for the 8 mile hike. The hike starts at the top
of the canyon. You steadily descend for over 3 miles until you reach the creek.
You hike upstream for approximately 1 mile until you reach the falls. There are
also several smaller cascading waterfalls and swimming holes along the creek. This
hike was easy in October with 70 degree temperature, but I bet it would be
murderous in the summer. My legs were feeling the burn on the return trip. I
went through 4 bottles of water. In the summer, each person in your group would
probably need a gallon of water to complete this hike.
Slide Rock State Park. Sedona Arizona
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| Slide Rock State Park, Sedona, Arizona |
Slide Rock State Park is located just a few miles North of Sedona Arizona on route 89a. It's an insanely popular little park and one of the best swimming holes I've ever visited. Over the centuries, Oak Creek carved out and smoothed the rocks, creating a natural water slide and a few small waterfalls. There are several deep areas in the park where you can cliff jump when the level of the creek is high enough. It takes less than ten minutes to hike to the creek from the parking area, so the hike is suitable for almost anyone who can handle the flight of stairs that leads to the creek bed, but no pets. Besides the swimming area, Slide Rock State Park is filled with apple trees and historic cabins from the early 1900's. You can actually buy apples grown on the property from the gift store. The rest of the food selection was pretty limited. I would recommend bringing your own picnic supplies unless you want to eat canned nacho cheese or a microwaved corn dog.
The creek was freezing in October, but it didn't seem to bother all the kids who were swimming, so I decided to hit the slide too. The rocks are covered in a sheen of algae and they're definitely as slick as advertised.
The park sits right in the middle of Oak Creek Canyon and the views alone were definitely worth the 10$ parking fee. I can tell by the humongous size of the parking area that Slide Rock must get insanely busy in the summer time. The parking area is seriously as big as the actual park itself.
Directions:
From Sedona, Head North on Route 89a for approximately 4 miles. Look for signs on 89a for Slide Park State Park. The entrance fee is 10$.
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| Slide Rock State Park |
West Fork of Oak Creek. Sedona Arizona
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| West Fork of Oak Creek in Sedona Arizona |
The West Fork Oak Creek is one of the best hikes in Sedona. In fact, I'd say that its one of the best hikes that I've ever done. The hike starts in the parking lot just north of the Cave Spring campground on route 89a between flagstaff and Sedona. The trail takes you deep into Oak Creek Canyon though a forest worthy of children's book. In the fall, the leaves actually change here. You can expect to see a ton of photographer's in the canyon lugging around expensive gear. The trail will cross over Oak Creek at least 9 times in both directions. There are several swimming holes, but I couldn't handle the cold water for more than a few minutes. As you hike deeper into the canyon, the walls are several hundred feet tall and only about 50 feet wide. Two miles into the canyon, the trail abruptly stops at natural tunnel similar to the narrows in Zion National Park. From this point, you can continue to hike upstream through the water, or just turn around and head back. Like I said, the water in the creek is brutally cold and proper cold water gear is probably necessary.
There are numerous campground located along route 89a between Flagstaff and Sedona. They were all closed on our trip this year because of the government shutdown. I had originally planned on camping for a night at the Cave Spring Campground, but I had to find a hotel in Sedona instead. In the end, it turned out to be a huge bonus because most of the campgrounds in Oak Creek are located right against the highway. I would have been pissed with all of the road noise at night. I highly recommend staying a night in Sedona. Its easily one of the most beautiful cities in America. We ate a restaurant in town called the Cowboy Club and I had the best cornbread I've ever eaten in my life. The guy at the table next to us ordered the 35$ Elk Chops and the dish was so beautiful that I would have felt bad eating it. My girlfriend's Margarita was so good it was worthy of a ballad.
Directions: From route 40 Flagstaff, take route 89a south for approximately 15 miles. Pass the Cave Spring Campground and look for the West Fork Oak Creek parking area on the immediate right. There are several signs at the trail head with maps and descriptions of the trail. Most people hike int the canyon until the trail runs out at the narrow tunnel making this hike 5 miles round-trip.
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| West Fork Oak Creek Trail Map |
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| West Fork Oak Creek Trail |
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| West Fork Oak Creek Swimming Hole |
Lava River Tube. Flagstaff Arizona
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| Lava River Tube in Flagstaff Arizona |
The Lava River Tube in Flagstaff Arizona is a nearly mile-long cave located in the scenic Coconino National Forest. Its only about an hour away from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. If you plan on visiting the Grand Canyon, this hike should be at the very top of your list of things to see. I would say this hike is definitely suitable for young children as long as they can be careful at the rocky entrance. I probably wouldn't plan on hauling a baby or your feeble old grandmother though. There's no gift shop on this hike and you're on your own if you run into trouble.
The entrance to the cave is short quarter mile hike from the parking area. The temperature in the cave ranges between 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit, so bring a jacket. There was actually snow and ice on the ground at the entrance to the cave in early October. The hike into the cave starts with a 200 yard rock scramble down into the actual tube. You won't have a tour guide and the cave is not lit, so you must have a light source. I recommend a buying a few cheap headlamps from Wal-Mart. After a few hundred yards, the cave eventually levels out. We spent an 30 minutes walking deeper and deeper into the cave. You can't get lost because the only fork in the cave leads right back to the main tube. The height of the ceiling can range anywhere from 4 feet to over 40. I took a ton of pictures and we actually turned around before we even reached the end. There were a ton of people in the cave with us, and a few hillbillies were smoking clove cigarettes and blasting country music from a boombox. They completely killed the ambiance. It was one of the few times I wished I had a park ranger to supervise the trail. But even the hillbillies couldn't sour me on the Lava River Tube. Its a really amazing cave.
Walking the Lava River Tube is a totally unique experience. The Coconino National Forest is a worthwhile destination in its own right. I've already started planning a camping trip here next year. I saw a ton of awesome primitive back-country camping spots while we were cruising down the fire roads.
Directions: From Flagstaff, take route 180 North for approximately 14 miles. Turn Left onto Forest Route 245. In 2 miles, follow the signs for the lava River Cave and turn left onto a small fire road for and parking area for the Lava Cave.
Attention-Route 245 is closed in winter.
Devil's Bridge Arch. Sedona Arizona
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| Devil' Arch Sedona Arizona |
The Devil's Bridge is a 50+ foot natural arch located in
Sedona Arizona. You can actually stand on top of it by climbing a rock
staircase built into the side on the mountain. The Devil's Bridge Trail is one of the most popular hikes in
Sedona and a lot of the information about this hike on the internet is wrong.
The official Forest Service website incorrectly lists the hike as only 1.5
miles round-trip. In actuality, the hike is 5 miles round-trip. I thought I would do post about it to clear up some of the confusion about this hike.
The parking area listed on the Forest Service website, and
many other websites, is only accessible if you have a 4 wheel vehicle with a
high ground clearance. There are several tour groups in town that will shuttle
you by Jeep to the closer trail-head for a fee, but most people will have to use
the ‘overflow’ parking area for the Devil’s Bridge further down the road. The
hike from this trail-head is at least 5 miles round-trip.
Having just finished
this hike last week, it’s obvious that a lot of people are getting bad
information about this hike online. We saw several groups of people hiking with
little or no water. The Devil’s Bridge Trail also has several forks and many
people seemed lost or confused because they expected the arch to be closer. The
trail runs snakes downhill from the parking lot through a forest of green
high-desert shrubs and small trees. Its crosses through several dry creek beds
and forks several times at marked crossings. The last half mile of the trail
heads uphill towards the the arch until you reach a set of rock stairs carved
into the mountain. At the top of the stairs, you can cross over from the
mountain onto the top of the arch.
Directions: From Sedona, Take 89a and make a right onto Dry
Creek Road. In 2 miles, turn right onto Vultee Arch Road. Vultee Arch Road is
unpaved. Follow Vultee Arch Road for approximately 1 mile until you see signs
for the Devil’s Bridge Trail-head parking Area. The Devil’s Bridge trail-head is
marked and starts in the overflow parking lot. The trail forks several times at
signed intersections and is approximately 5 miles round-trip.
Rim to Rim: The Grandest Hike on Earth. A short video by Andy Lewicky
And now that you'be been inspired, here is nice little article about how to do the hike yourself.
http://www.everytrail.com/guide/hiking-the-grand-canyon-rim-to-rim
Hiking In Extreme Heat
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| Vegas Temperatures in August |
The desert temperatures are likely going to hit 110 every day for the rest of this week. If you have plans to hike in the desert, hike within your limits, bring a ridiculous amount of water, wear a ton of sunscreen, bring a hat and sunglasses, let someone know your itinerary, bring a cell phone and take frequent breaks. A married couple from California died a few weeks ago on 4th of July weekend while they were hiking in Utah on a 100+ degree day.
My Top 5 Favorite Hiking Movies
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| The Way Back 2010 |
I thought I would make a list of good hiking related movies. I tried to link all of the movies back to IMDB. The Way Back and The Road are two of my all time favorite movies in any genre. If you think of a good movie that I missed, feel free to add it to the comment section at the bottom of this post.
Backcountry 2014
I recently caught this film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. I added it to the top of the list because it's easily the best hiking films I've ever seen. Without giving too much away, the story is about two hikers from the city who run into some serious trouble on a backcountry trail. Do yourself a favor and don't read about the film on IMDB before you actually see it.
1. The Way Back 2010
This is a film about a group of WWII prisoners who escape a Russian gulag and hike several thousand miles across Siberia, the Gobi Desert and finally the Himilayas before reaching freedom in India. This is my all time favorite hiking movie.
2. Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago 2012
I caught this documentary at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2013. I don't think it has been officially released, so good luck finding it. This is a documentary about several people who are hiking the ancient El Camino de Santiago trail on a pilgrimage to the the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Spain.
3. The Way 2010
A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the "El camino de Santiago," and decides to take the pilgrimage himself. -IMDB
4. The Road 2009
This is one of the most brutal films I've ever seen. It's essentially about a father and son who are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. They hike through abandoned towns with a shopping cart full of supplies trying to avoid marauders, rapists, thieves and cannibals. This film is almost too depressing to handle in a single sitting. From a visual standpoint, it's easily one of the best films made in the past ten years.
5. America's Wild Spaces: Pacific Crest Trail 2010
This National Geographic Documentary is amazing and nearly impossible to find. I can't find the link to buy it from National Geographic or even rent it from Netflix. This is easily the best documentary ever made about the Pacific Crest Trail. You can download it from Pirate Bay as a torrent.
Honorable Mentions:
SouthBounders 2005
This is a low budget indie film about a group of people hiking the Appalachian Trail. Its feels more like a great documentary than a film. It really makes you want to hit the trail. The only downside to this film is the horrible soundtrack.
127 Hours 2010
It's not really a hiking movie, but it's a must-see movie for anyone who hikes. Not to spoil it, but the movie is basically 90 minutes of James Franco stuck in a canyon.
The Lord of the Flies 1990 1963
Both Lord of the Flies movies are classics. I prefer the 1990 version because I saw it in the theater when I was a kid and I feel some nostalgia for it, but most people say the older black and white film was better.
And finally, here is a list of movies on IMDB that a user put together of hiking and nature related films
http://www.imdb.com/list/YCmflZ_Ek0I/?ref_=tt_rls_5
Havasu Falls: Grand Canyon
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| Mooney Falls: Supai Arizona, Grand Canyon |
For a lot of hikers, a trip to the Supai reservation in the
Grand Canyon to see Havasu Falls is the high watermark of a lifetime of
exploration and adventures. I’m in my
early thirties now, and I thought it was time that I made the journey myself.
After doing a lot of research online, I became an expert on Supai before I had
ever even visited. Most people agree that the best times to visit are during
the spring and fall when the temperatures are mild and the crowds are thin. I
reserved my campsite by phone for early October about 6 months before of my
trip. For three people staying two nights in the Supai campground, the fee came
to exactly 85$ per person. You don’t actually pay for anything on the phone,
they just give you a reservation number. The lodge was already completely booked, but
the prices for a room were several hundred dollars more expensive and I wouldn't have spent that much money anyway.
The next step for our trip was gathering supplies and
planning the route. The major factor to
consider in the Grand Canyon is always the weather. Summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees. In
the winter, they regularly drop below zero. Temps in the spring and fall can be unpredictable.
In early October, the weatherman called for clear skies with daytime temps in
the low 70’s, and nights in the upper 40’s. Perfection. The hike to the campground in Supai is ten
miles each way from the parking lot at Hualapai hilltop. To clear up any
confusion about directions, the best route from either direction on Route 40 is
to take route 66 and then exit North on Hualapai Highway (Indian Route 18). You just follow the Hualapai Highway for an
hour or so until it dead ends at the parking lot for Hualapai Hilltop. It should
be hard to miss. It’s the parking lot situated on the edge of a billion year
old crevasse 1 mile deep and 18 miles across.
Gear:
Considering the mild fall temperatures, I packed food for
two days, 1.5 liters of water per
person, 3-man tent split into three packs, hiking pole, 1 change of clothing
and socks, 1 light jacket, 1 light sweatshirt, 2 pound sleeping bag, sleeping
pad, gloves, hat, ten feet of nylon clothesline, cell phone, camera, 1 roll toilet paper, travel size toothbrush
and toothpaste, travel size shower gel/shampoo, needle and a small spool of thread,
1 emergency kit*
*Emergency kit
Emergency blanket,
alcohol swabs, small tube of dermabond, crazyglue, matches in waterproof
case, toilet paper, Purel hand
sanitizer, travel size suntan lotion, flashlight/headlamp with spare batteries, needle and thread, energy bars, pocket knife, emergency whistle, bandages, rain poncho, compass, water
purification tablets/iodine, powdered
Gatorade individual packs,
(You can store your emergency kit in an aluminum thermos for
boiling water in an emergency)
A very condensed trip report:
A very condensed trip report:
We left our hotel in Las Vegas early in the morning and made
the trailhead in a little under
Sara Park Slot Canyon, Lake Havasu Arizona
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| Sara Park, Lake Havasu |
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| Sara Park Slot Canyon |
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| Sara Park Slot Canyon Trail |
