Desert Waterfalls

EVEN AS A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF ARIZONA, I am still awed by the scenic diversity the state offers. I'm especially impressed by the transformation that occurs in this arid land when winter snows melt in the high country, or after a summer thunderstorm's brief deluge. Drawn by gravity, trickles of water gather into torrents, filling desert washes, plunging over canyon walls, and, as unlikely as it may seem, creating a myriad of waterfalls. Many falls are rarely seen because of their ephemeral nature, lasting only an hour or two after a downpour, for just a few months of the year. Some are easily accessible, but most require a spirit of adventure, an eye on the weather, and a good pair of hiking boots. In these pages I offer a small sampling of one of our state's better-kept secrets: desert waterfalls.

(PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 24 AND 25) Snowmelt swells a normally dripping spring along Workman Creek in the Sierra Anchas range north of Roosevelt Lake. (LEFT) Seven Falls cascades down Bear Canyon in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains outside of Tucson. (ABOVE) Along the fabled Apache Trail in the Superstition Mountains, an ephemeral waterfall spills down Fish Creek Hill.

(PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 28 AND 29) Deep within the Salt River Canyon on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Cibecue Falls offers a stunning and dramatic display.

(ABOVE) The multiple cascades of Navajo Falls in Havasu Canyon reflect Nature's whimsical artistry.

(RIGHT) Seneca Falls plunges hundreds of feet from the rim of the Salt River Canyon on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.