Showing posts with label Cliff Jump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cliff Jump. Show all posts
Fossil Falls. Strawberry, Arizona
 |
| 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
 |
| 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$.
 |
| Slide Rock State Park |
100+ ft. Cliff Jump at Cedar Creek Falls
These guys were jumping from a spot about 20 feet below the top of Cedar Creek Falls in San Diego. The fall is at least a hundred feet, maybe more. As of October 2012, the falls are almost bone dry. The pool at the base is filled with algae. I wouldn't swim in it right now unless you want to end up with a bacterial infection.
