Christopher Creek Gorge

This is a really fun canyon with good flowing water most of the year (rare for Arizona). Christopher Creek features several rappels, a few slides and a couple of jumps (check depth first). Wetsuits highly recommended.

Parking: 34.31717, -111.06258 Top of Approach Hike: 34.31099, -111.05616 Start of Canyon: 34.30879, -111.05721 Exit: 34.31198, -111.06902 There are two options for the approach: through the woods or by the road. If you are not comfortable with a five to ten minute hike next to a highway, take the slightly more complicated "through the woods" approach. From the parking area, hike southwest towards the maintenance yard, then east under the power lines for about 1/10 mile, go up the ravine, continue east for about 1/2 mile total, crest the hill to find the trail - OR - much more simply follow the road for the short hike to the trail. If following the road, head up the embankment on your right just before it becomes steep (about .4 mile), then follow the wire fence to the east a very short distance until you come to the obvious spot where people are ducking under the fence (where the fence has been mangled to make getting under it easier) to follow the trail on the other side. Stay on the trail hiking south, you should not come too close to the camp grounds if you stay on the trail. Farther east of the main trail are others that will circuitously take you to the canyon, but are out of the way and on posted private property.

Before arriving at the first anchor, there are several small jumps and pools. Most can be climbed around.

After the final rappel, there is a long swim and then a very interesting section opens up. After several narrow chutes and channels, it is possible to climb up canyon right. Doing so you will miss one of the most scenic parts of the canyon. Stay in the watercourse or stay canyon left until a narrow box drainage enters from canyon right. Some careful down climbing and stemming is required. At this confluence are several nice shelves to gear down. Exit up the left side of this drainage for a couple hundred feet and then hike up the bottom of the drainage for about 10 minutes. Another drainage appears on the right with high walls. Just past this drainage head up the steep rocky hillside peppered with yucca and crawling cactus. There are some cairns. You will head almost due north to a large flat area and maintenance yard. Cross the flat area to the trailhead and your car just beyond.