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| Canyoneering | 17.00 Miles |
3,000 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 17.00 Miles | 10 Hrs | | 1.70 mph |
| 3,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Basic Canyoneering - Scrambling; easy climbing/downclimbing; frequent hand use; rope recommended; easy exit | | A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit | | III - Normally requires most of a day |
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| no partners | | Welcome to the Mazatzals! This mountain range begins at the canyon created by the Fossil Creek drainage North of Hardscrabble as it carves its way down to the Main Verde. Following generally South, the range encompasses TWO wilderness areas that include steep precipices, deep and narrow canyons, sub-alpine peaks and miles of trails ending at the southern edge of Four Peaks wilderness north of Canyon Lake.
My trip was an attempt at hiking to the base of twin waterfalls, each reaching near 250' total height. According to some online research, these falls were easily accessable from above, being a mere 200 yards from the Arizona Trail (Mazatzal Divide segment #23). Well after seeing a pic of the area I set out on one warm April day to take a peek into this canyon from above. I was certainly surprised to see the majesty unfold before me, and wondered to myself: how this little gem of a canyon had no prior mention in any mainstream medium? I was determined to pour over the topo maps and find a way to the bottom of these falls without rappelling or climbing them. Once I saw an obvious route to the bottom, it was agreed by 2 others that we need to try to make it into the North Fork of Deadman (creek) Canyon. So, the idea payed off because the hike down the un-named side canyon at 34.100043 -111.49357 which starts the easy entry point of light bushwhacking, scrambling, and hopping down this shallow, open canyon will lead you to the larger, and slightly easier to navigate North Fork. Once in the North Fork of Deadman you boulder hop and walk along bedrock and ledges at times (to avoid wet feet) about 1/2 mile North to the end, where you will be stopped by a 45° slope that extends to near the top of this canyon, and also by a 2 tiered waterfall reaching about 75' tall. I did try to make it up the slope to the top so I could peer down into the twin 250' falls but stopped just 20 vertical feet short of my goal. It is almost impossible to climb a rugged cliff band without proper equipment, and I felt free climbing with the exposure was a bit uncomfortable, to say the least. That being said, the upper falls will have to wait until I either: become a climber with proper equipment, or rappel from the top of the twin falls to the bottom. At this point, I have neither the training or gear to make such a trip. But, the falls at the turn-around point were interesting enough, and being that exploration downstream brings you to more (again, impassible w/o ropes) interesting geology I would suggest this as a trip to the determined dayhiker who wants to see a seldom (if ever) visited waterfall - but i suggest only a strong hiker make this trip as from Barnhardt it is 17 miles round trip - so it may be better to camp for the night either in canyon or above it. The head of Deadman Canyon near Horse Camp Seep is some prime camping area with a view of 300' deep near-vertical walls below you. There is also shaded campsites found just beyond the Barnhardt saddle intersection. Water is seasonal here, so plan on late Sept-Oct-Nov- thru early spring Feb-Mar-April. |
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