Grand Falls Today

azbackpackr · Posted: 1/29/2008, 5:24 pm Post subject: Grand Falls Today

Today I made a somewhat surreptitious escape from wage slavedom and went to see Grand Falls of the Little Colorado for the first time. It wasn't exactly an Arizona Highways moment when we arrived. I had been led to believe from USGS river data that it might well be at peak performance today, but I was wrong. However, it was running pretty well. We stayed about 15 minutes. It was freezing cold and windy. So we did the tourist thing, took photos and left! As for the drive there, triplogs on HAZ provided good info, but you need to read all of them. You do want to go on 6910 to get there, as one of the Triploggers says. It isn't a bad road at all. You need to take down all the info, Mile Markers, mileages, etc. We never got lost due to those good directions. Here is a photo, and there are more in the Gallery:

TrailHappy · Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 42 Location: YUMA

azbackpackr · Posted: 1/29/2008, 6:07 pm Post subject:

Yup, I snuck out of town!

Anyway, Grand Falls is on the Navajo Reservation, so I really don't know what they want you to do or not do. In a lot of areas the Navajos are pretty relaxed about rules, regs and permits. At Grand Falls a lot of people go down a steep trail to get to the falls themselves, and during monsoon if the water isn't too high they play in the muddy water, stand under the falls, etc.

Here's a link to the HAZ write-up. Be sure to read the "14 Triplogs," shown on top of the bar, because the directions given on the first page take you on a very nasty road, whereas if you take 6910, it's not too bad:

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=51

wanderingsoul · Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 2285 Location: Gilbert AZ

Pretty neat picture Elizabeth with multiple little water falls.
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Cynhikr · Joined: 09 Jan 2003 Posts: 1197 Location: Tempe, AZ.

L.C. was running (at Cameron, just west of the falls) at about 225 cfs at noon today and ramped down below 200 at 4PM.
However, just before 5 PM it climbed to over 1000 cfs!
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azbackpackr · Posted: 1/30/2008, 4:32 am Post subject:

Yes, but yesterday it was running at 13,200, according to the data site, at Winslow, just a few miles upstream from the falls.

Now you tell me: Where does all that water go? Is there a big irrigation canal that sucks it off or something? This morning it is 7,000 at Winslow and only about 400 at Cameron. That is not that far a distance and seems unreasonable to think that all that water is just sinking into the ground or evaporating.

At 13,200 those falls would really have been something to see! I wish anyway we could have stayed longer, but hubby just wasn't into it. He was cold and didn't feel well.

Shawn · Posted: 1/30/2008, 6:29 am Post subject:

There are lots of acquifers to fill up, maybe it is just sinking in. Any hydrologists among us?
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IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Cool!
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azbackpackr · Posted: 1/31/2008, 5:31 am Post subject:

I posted on Grand Canyon Private Boaters the same question I asked here: where does all that water go between Winslow and Cameron? No one really seemed to know. The water level spiked at 13,200 at Winslow, but the spike at Cameron was only about 2,000. What happens to all that water in 100+ miles of river? The sheep drink it?

No one seems to know, so far. Maryphyl? Anyone?

azbackpackr · Posted: 2/2/2008, 9:04 am Post subject:

I believe the river level at Cameron MAY be a better indication of what is happening at Grand Falls. Today, this morning, it is at close to 4,000, whereas Winslow has dropped to below 1,000. I believe that as the day goes on, Winslow will come up again, due to thawing on the Mogollon Rim, (it is fed in large part by Chevelon Creek and East Clear Creek) and perhaps then Cameron will continue to rise. It seems to be a slow process. Also, with another storm in the forecast, you might look at sometime next week to make your pilgrimage.

lzyboy · Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 201 Location: Mesa

evenstar · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 5548 Location: SCW by way of CA

She can probably do a simulation on her computer! Crazy

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Shawn · Posted: 2/2/2008, 2:28 pm Post subject:

You're mean Hooli, really mean. (But that's a good one!)
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evenstar · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 5548 Location: SCW by way of CA

azbackpackr · Posted: 2/2/2008, 3:57 pm Post subject:

Maryphyl put it in simpler terms when she said (on GCPBA) there are sand dunes, lots of sand. However, she didn't say about the river being so wide. Makes sense.

I'm ignoring Hooli. Rolling Eyes