More Heavenly Than Hellish

THE MYSTERIES OF DEVİLS САПУОП

IN MY EXPERIENCE, A WILDERNESS PLACE WITH A HELLISH-SOUNDING NAME usually has earned it. Devils Canyon in central Arizona's Dripping Spring Mountains about 60 miles east of Phoenix near Superior is no exception. What awaits discovery ranks much closer to heaven, but you pay a price in getting there: in physical exertion; in possible harm from falls; in cuts and scratches, sunburn, insect bites and possible snakebites.

Even as a child, on a driving trip by the upper end of the canyon, I could see that the mysterious gorge seemed to hide something. Later, halfhearted attempts to discover the canyon's secrets proved futile. This remote defile guards its jewels with some daunting obstacles: wall-to-wall poison ivy, impenetrable catclaw bushes, needle-sharp agaves, angry rattlesnakes and imposing cliffs of rotten rock that must be down-climbed.

My first five serious expeditions failed. I was stranded a couple of times at the top of huge cliffs and had to turn back. I ran out of daylight. The waterfalls were hidden by the very dramatic topography-most of the canyon is remote and difficult to approach. But finally I found what I sought: some of Arizona's most beautiful and dramatic waterfalls and plunge pools.

Devils Canyon shelters much more treasure than its waterfalls and pools. Lush vegetation, incredibly balanced boulders, narrow volcanic spires, a troop of exotic coatimundis and a hidden cave all invite exploration if you dare make it in.

For the serious adventurer, the efforts and risk will be rewarded, but not without paying the devil his due.

[PRECEDING PANEL, PAGE 15] Countless seasons of erosion have produced the fanciful granite spires of Devils Canyon in the Dripping Spring Mountains southeast of Superior.

[LEFT] Devils Canyon's ruggedness and inaccessibility hides its geologic wonders from all but the hardiest adventurers.

[ABOVE RIGHT] A yellowflowered agave's spiky armament punctuates the harsh beauty of the surrounding landscape.

[BELOW RIGHT] Balanced rocks create totems along the upper reaches of the steep-sided canyon.

[PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 18 AND 19] Springtime rains fuel a hidden waterfall deep in a rocky cleft at the bottom of the canyon.

[ABOVE LEFT] Saguaro cacti line a ridge above a transient desert grotto.

[BELOW LEFT] The temporary nature of flowing water in most desert canyons invites quiet contemplation.

[RIGHT] Steep-sided Devils Canyon shelters a series of small waterfalls. Pools created below the falls provide a source of water for desert wildlife.

[RIGHT] Moisture at the canyon's floor encourages a vivid green stand of Virginia creeper. [BELOW] Hidden d desert oases like Devils Canyon foster a rich diversity of plant and animal species.