Weather: 75ยบ, humid, clouds, rain
About this Hike: Since its recent rise in social media popularity, I've become intrigued by Canyon of the Waterfalls in the Superstition Mountains. Located on the periphery of Lost Dutchman State Park off First Water Road, I've driven by this trailhead countless times without ever noticing it.
My plan was to visit this area in the cooler months. An active monsoon this week meant cooler temps and the potential for the waterfalls to be flowing. The stars seemingly aligned for a unique desert hike during an otherwise unthinkable time of year.
I left Payson early, fearing many others would have the same idea as me. I expected full parking along First Water Road, and I anticipated a possible muddy mess along the road.
Upon arrival at the waterfall trailhead, I scored the last available parking spot. The road was fairly dry, and the wash that comes right after the waterfall parking area was also dry. This was despite the fact it was still raining.
I parked the truck and wondered if I should have brought my rain jacket. The rain was steady, but not heavy, and there was no lightning or thunder. The jacket would have just made me too hot. As it goes with summer rains in the desert, it never cools things down that much, but it sure does drive the humidity high.
I found this hike to be challenging to stay on trail. As I neared the first of the rock formations, I noted a lot of slippery black rock that I had to hike up. The slickness was exacerbated by the steady rain. I feared what coming down was going to be like. While wet rocks are inherently slick, I was surprised to find that I had good traction.
I pressed on past the rock formations, losing the trail and having to search for it several times with my hiking GPS. I followed the trail into a wash that was dry. A large rock outcropping stained black had to be navigated around. I assumed this to be one of the waterfalls, and it was definitely not flowing.
Beyond this first waterfall, I reached a slick, steep scramble. It wasn't long, nor completely vertical, but I watched other hikers having a terrible time coming down it. Once they passed I gave it a go. The rain was picking up, adding to my overall nervousness. Having hiked in about two miles at this point, I made the tough decision to turn around.
From a higher point on the trail, I used my binoculars to look up-canyon. I got the impression that the wash in the canyon wasn't flowing much, despite all the recent rain. One of the hikers I encountered at my turnaround point also confirmed this by calling the rest of the hike, "A would-be river."
Shortly after turning around, the rain stopped. I followed a couple of other hikers who took a path around the slick rocks that I climbed up on the way in. This path stuck to mostly gravel and offered far better traction. This is what happens when you're hiking on an unofficial trail and relying on the footprints of those who've gone before you.
I'm not sure if I made the right call or not by turning around. Shortly after I turned back, the rain stopped. The trail was already well on its way to drying out by the time I was back at the trailhead. A picture I found on AllTrails dated from the last couple days does show the waterfall up-canyon flowing a bit. While I can be a stubborn individual and keep pressing on in less-than-ideal circumstances, I also can be overly cautious at times. A YouTube video of this hike also indicated there may have been a narrow ledge, rock-wall clinging, and a sheer drop further up-canyon. I am very limited by my extreme fear of heights in such scenarios.
Maybe one day I'll come back. Perhaps I'll try the waterfall canyon again on a combined trip with another relatively unknown trail in the area that has recently earned social media fame: Triple Arch Trail.
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