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| Hiking | 11.21 Miles |
966 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.21 Miles | 5 Hrs 21 Mns | | 2.63 mph |
| 966 ft AEG | 1 Hour 5 Mns Break | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | After sleeping in after a long work week and relaxing at home Sunday morning I finally left the house and headed north!
It was probably the latest I've ever started an out of town day hike, it wasn't until 3pm when I finally parked atop of Wingfield Mesa.
Verde Falls has been on my radar for quite some time now and I've been patiently waiting for water levels to drop but also not let the vegetation be completely bare, Sunday night certainly did not disappoint!
The barren shadless beginning of the hike was a bit warm for my piglet of a dog so I brought nearly 2 gallons of water to shower her with along the way. Her heavy panting and my loud footsteps alerted a herd of 5-6 pronghorn about a 100 yards out that quickly scampered away wihtin moments, the second group I've seen in the Verde Valley area this year.
Once we hit the riverside I was in my "home", large cottonwoods, dense vegetation and sandy beaches were a nice contrast from the dry bleak descent.
I was short on daylight so my dog and I shared a few strips of ready to eat bacon and we were off!
Upon hitting the Cottonwood Creek confluence I was amazed by the idyllic riverside camp spots, the sand and ground were so perfect it was like somebody grated it and has plucked each and every little rock away.
Soon after that I ran into some dense choked vegetation so thick and tall it required me to pick my dog up and carry her on my shoulders otherwise there was no way she would have made it through.
After that crappy part that river bottoms opened up once again and I could soon hear the thunderous roar of the falls around the corner which put even more giddy up in my step.
I have literally only been able to dig up a handful of photos online of "The Falls", the majority taken by fearless kayakers quickly hopping out of their boats so I was certainly impressed by what I encountered since only had slight idea what it looked like.
A rugged and beautiful river gorge forms in that small area creating numerous small but powerful cascades with some spots so narrow it's only about 8-10 feet to the other shore side.
Once there I made it there it was well after sunset and more of dusk so I quickly snapped photos for 25 min before hitting complete darkness just before 6pm.
With that being said I had about 7 miles of peaceful night hiking to head back but luckily I had the bright glow of the supermoon to guide me in conjunction with my headlamp.
I utilized the now closed portions of FR 500, you can still drive a decent way into the basin on the very rough road but at one point there are gates and signs of no motorized travel. The non motorized portion of the old road is now a very nice hiking trail that works its way all throughout the valley and mesa with numerous side paths to take as well. I came across a lot of cattle, one frightened lone deer and I could hear many nearby howling coyotes but never saw them. It was a nice change to night hike with the illumination of the bright moon lighting up the usually dark abyss of the night. I made it back to my SUV sometime around 9pm with a very tired dog that was rewarded with a big can of post hike slop that she earns on each trip.
I sat out there and enjoyed the moon and a little peace and quiet before I headed back home, all in all it was great little evening adventure exploring another new area.  |
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