Camp Creek Falls

Here's a really cool hike to a waterfall that is a little out of my neck of the woods, but it allowed me to begin expanding my hikes out of East Phoenix since this hike is close to the town of Carefree. I assume the falls are created from Camp Creek which appears to be a tributary of the Verde River, but it is hard to tell on a map since the creek is also close to Bartlett Lake. I'm really hoping it wasn't actually a sewage run-off since my hiking group all had a good time splashing around in the water. Although the waterfall looked sparklingly clear!

To get to the hike, take 101 north through Scottsdale and exit at Pima Road. Head north on Pima Road for approximately 13 miles and turn right (east) at the intersection of Pima Road and Cave Creek Road. Follow Cave Creek Road approximately 6.5 miles past the Bartlett Lake turn-off, and on the right side of the road is a brown wooden Tonto Forest sign and a gravel parking lot with a gate heading south to the trail. The trail dips down following a path obviously well-used by horses, and you can spot views of Four Peaks and Weaver's Needle to the east. Just before the path begins a slight dip upwards again, where you can still see Four Peaks in the distance, is where you will make a right turn onto another, smaller dirt path. There are GPS coordinates for this turn, but being consistently the low-tech hiking blog destination, I am providing physical landmarks! You will know that you are on the right path, as the vegetation begins to thicken and you enter into a boulder-lined canyon. If you pass a deserted car, you are definitely on the right path. Continuing along the well-worn trail, a little further down, you will see a large grouping of rocks shaped distinctly like a pyramid. When you get to a very large wash of grey rocks, turn left and follow the wash as it bends around. You are now heading into the canyon, and beginning to follow what I believe to be Camp Creek. At various times of the year, there are probably different amounts of water in this creek. As I am doing this hike in March, we began to see water about 100 feet beyond where we turned into the wash, with the water level growing the further we walked upstream. Trees begin to line the creek providing shade, and the sheer canyons walls narrow before we reach the oasis and the waterfall at the end. Plan to spend some time hanging out at the waterfall and climbing the rocks around it, before heading back the same way you came in.

Length: 3 miles
Elevation gain: 600 feet
Time it took us: 2.5 hours with a long stop at the falls
Dogs okay: Yes
Fees: none at this particular gravel lot