Monday, July 6, 2015

Staying Cool in the Arizona Heat! Part 1 - Lakes/Rivers

Is the hot weather making you stay inside? Feel like exploring and going for a swim? Not all lakes here in Arizona have swimming permitted and the nearest ocean-beach is a state away. (**There are white sand beaches in Arizona! I loved the story so much I made it a post of its own! click here for more info**) Here are some great swimming lakes and Rivers found in Arizona.

Glen Canyon - Lake Powell
Come swim at Lake Powell, the views are beautiful and the water is warm. (warms up to 80 degrees + in the summer) Glen Canyon is a really nice spot for swimming and has some great spots to jump into the water. Swimming is prohibited at all marinas and launch areas. Swim at your own risk. Make it a camping trip and camp right by the shore! For more info visit www.nps.gov or visitpagelakepowell.com
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Spend a day at the day use area and play at the beach!  They have a large grass area, tables, BBQs and swimming beach. Due to popularity, make sure to make a reservation, especially on the weekend! (25$ for the day per vehicle) for more info visit canyonlakemarina.com
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Butcher Jones Beach - (Recreation site) Saguaro Lake
Butcher Jones beach Recreation site is located at Saguaro lake. Saguaro lake is only about 45 mins to an hour from phoenix. A big open space and has bathrooms, picnic tables and barbeques. Makes for a fun day with the family!

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Burnt Corral Campground - (Just off of Apache Lake)
Day use and camping site (6$ entrance charge) has bathrooms, picnic tables and grills. About two hours away from Phoenix. If you want to make it a camping trip you can camp right on shore!
For more info visit www.fs.usda.gov
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Buckskin Mountain State Park
About 2 and 1/2 hours away from Phoenix, Buckskin Mountain state Park features picnic areas, barbeque grills and bathroom facilities. More features include a kids arcade, free wifi , a restaraunt and market! For more info go to azstateparks.com (Also they have tuesday ice cream socials! bring your own bowl and spoon, 1$ donation per person)
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 (Photo via Beyla Campos)

Glen Canyon - Lake Powell
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Feel like tubing down the river but dont want to pay all the fees? Heres a nice spot to relax, wade and swim around. For more info visit www.fs.usda.gov
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 (photo via Panoramio)

A great site to relax, swim, and explore! You have to bring everything yourself as there are no amenities at this site. Pack in and pack out.
For more info visit http://www.fs.usda.gov
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(Photo via songskatesang-blog)

Patagonia lake
Patagonia Lake is located south of Tuscon. The lake allows swimming in any part of the lake except the pier. (where the boat launch areas are) There is a roped off swim area at Boulder Beach, be safe and swim at your own risk. For more info go to azstateparks.com
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(Photo via Google/maps)
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White Sand Beaches in Arizona?

Yes! That is correct! Lake Havasu State Park has updated their beaches with shores of Carribean white sand. The pictures speak 1000 words!
Go have a blast at one of these beaches today! For more info go to the LakeHavasu-Blog or Golakehavasu.com

Ramadas, picnic tables, grills and white-sand beaches make this the perfect site to enjoy the beach. Leashed pets are welcome. You can also hike along the Mohave Sunset Trail, a short but scenic 1.75 mile walk, as well as through the Arroyo-Camino Interpretive Garden, home to diverse species of plants and wildlife.
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 (pictures  via LakeHavasu-Blog)

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 (Photo via Fisheyevertigo)

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Have a picnic! 10 great places to have a picnic in the Phoenix-metro area

What makes for a great picnic spot? Green Grass? Lake view? Mountain views? Room to play? Here are some great spots with all of those things and more.

Rolling green hills, old buildings, two lakes, roses, and water fountains are what makes Indian Steele Park a perfect little picnic spot.
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Cute little park with grass, playgrounds, ducks and lakes make this spot a perfect place to have a picnic.
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Tons of room to play and roll around, bring a big blanket and some balls to have hours of fun!
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Nice green grass, a lake, trains, and hummingbird garden makes this park extra special and a nice spot to have a picnic!
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Tons of green grass, a fishing lake stocked with trout, a playground, and trails to go rollerskating make this park a great stop for a family picnic.
 
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Another great railroad park that ha
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Granada Park
Has a great big grassy lawn , playground, picnic tables, bathrooms, a great view and a nice size lake with ducks.
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Papago Park
Full of hiking trails, ramadas with picnic tables, a mountain and a lake. Makes for a perfect picnic spot.
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Tempe Town Lake
Grassy hills, tons of space and a nice lake view makes this spot a premier picnic area.
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Waterfalls in Arizona

Waterfalls in Arizona? When you first think of Arizona you might think of plain desert and saguaro cactuses, but there is much much more. I have a list of twenty, yes TWEN-TY waterfalls you can find in Arizona. These are some of Arizona's best kept secrets!

The first 5 waterfalls on the list are in Havasupai. Traveling to Havasupai can be one of the biggest adventures of your life! When we did the trip, (over 10 years ago) we did it as a day hike and stayed at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn which is an adventure of its own! (See more on Grand Canyon Caverns in my post about Caverns in Arizona) Note: It is not too Surprising that day trips are NOT aloud anymore, You must stay overnight when making this trip. When we went it was in the middle of monsoon season and we almost got stranded in the canyon. We were lucky to get the last helicopter ride out. The Grand Canyon Caverns Inn is about 2 & 1/2 hours away from the trailhead and is the closest services to Havasupai. From the trailhead, the first 2 miles of the trail winds down the steep canyon. As the trail continues you hike through the canyon and continue another 4 miles until you start to see the creek and the sign to the Havasupai village.(It took us about 5 hours to get to the village , we were unexperienced hikers and going at a slow steady pace) This is where you purchase your day/entrance pass to the falls. You must reserve you passes in advance, as well as campsites or a room at the lodge near the village. Campsites are 17$ a night and a room for up to 4 people at the lodge is 145$. (+ service fees)
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(photos courtesy of the Havasupai webpage)
The campground is creekside and fills up quite quickly, but it is rare for it to be completely full. If hiking down the canyon is not for you they also offer mule rides, helicopter rides, (Both are about 90$ a person) as well as private tour guides (which can be pretty expensive)

Here are all the Falls of Havasupai!

Havasu Falls
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(photo via thousandwonders.net)
Mooney Falls
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(photo via talkingtree.org)
Beaver Falls
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(photo via paradise-fall.com)
New Navajo Falls
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(photo by Travis Burke via Grindtv.com)
 Rock Falls
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(photo via Timwagblogg.com)
For more info on Havasupai and all the waterfalls found there, go to the Havasupai website at :

**Always remember to be cautious and watch the weather reports**
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 (Our Helicopter ride out of Havasupai)

Next on the list is another popular Hiking and Camping spot, and a must see! It is alot closer to phoenix (but still a 2-3 mile or more hike to get to depending on where you park)

Fossil Creek Falls - Camp Verde
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 (Photos courtesy of my Brother, The person jumping off the cliff hehe)
For more info on trails and how to get here visit:
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Horton Creek - Triple Falls- Payson
Horton Creek in payson(up on rim country) is the most popular in the area. Horton creek has a campground and day use area. (has 9 campsites, no facilities or trash pickup) The trail is about 7 miles round trip. Visit Hikearizona.com or fs.usda.gov for more info.
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 (photo via Flickr)

Water Wheel Falls - Payson
This place looks like so much fun! The Rim-Country in Payson really, is so beautiful! For more info visit Hikearizona.com or Manvsgear-Blog
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(photo via Manvsgear-blog)

Ellison Creek Cascades- Payson
The same creek that feeds Water Wheel Falls and the same trail. For more info visit Hikearizona.com
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(Photos via Pinterest and TripAdvisor)

Ribbon Falls - Grand Canyon
Pictures just don't do this waterfall justice! Total hike is about 12 miles, looks amazing! For more info visit hikearizona.com
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 (photo via Hikearizona)

Grand Falls - Leupp, AZ
Trying to find Grand Falls would proboly be your biggest problem on this trip. Grand Falls is on reservation territory has no signs, dirt roads and is known to only flow in the spring. Pictures alone are breathtaking and truly take you out of this world! For more information visit World-of-waterfalls or ChocolateFalls
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 (photo via hqworld.net)

Tonto National Bridge State Park - Payson
Tonto National Bridge State Park has a few hiking trails that include views of the water falls there. For more info visit azstateparks.com
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 (photo via Wordpress)

Pacheta Falls
Located in the White Mountains, Pacheta Falls
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(Photo via flickr/rwbuff78 )
For hiking info visit http://hikearizona.com

Cibecue Falls
Cibecue Falls is located in the Salt River Canyon near Globe, AZ.
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 (Photo via https://www.igsta.com/user/arizona_hiking )         (photo via Luke Edens-Pinterst)
For hiking info visit Hikearizona.com or Arizonahiking.org

Seneca Falls
Seneca Falls is located about 35 miles north of Globe. For visiting and hiking info visit Hikearizona.com
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 (Photos via outdoorphotographer.com and Flikr/bandino )
The view
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Winn Falls
Winn Falls in Tucson, AZ. There is a viewpoint at the Herb Martyr campground you can drive to and also a trail that leads to a closer look. For information on where to find Winn Falls visit hikearizona.com
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 (Photo via Dawns Bloggy Blog)

Tapeats Creek Waterfalls
Experienced? Going hiking with a group? For a more challenging/backpacking/camping trip, Tapeats creek at the North Rim/Grand canyon is a good 5 day hiking trip. For more visiting/hiking info visit hikearizona.com
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 (via Jack Brauer)
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 (photo via flickr/Al_HikesAZ)

Seven Falls - Tuscon
Seven falls is a pretty popular trail in Tuscon. It's about a 4 mile hike and has some nice pools to cool off in. For more info visit Hikearizona.com
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Bridal Wreath Falls - Tucson
The hike to bridal Wreath Falls is just over 5 miles.
For more info visit Hikearizona.com
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 (photo via ActiveRain-Blog)

Wolf Creek Falls - Prescott
I love Prescott so much, it is closer then most places, but still far enough where you get away from the city. Lower Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek Falls is a short little hike and is super fun to explore. For more info visit HikeArizona.com or fs.usda.gov
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and that's 20 waterfalls in Arizona, yes Arizona for ya!




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