Be forewarned: creek water sliding, swimming, and cliff jumping are dangerous. Swimming spots are available along Oak Creek, especially at the famous and fun water slide action at Slide Rock, an area where sandstone bedrock has been smoothed off over the millenniums to create a zoom-filled water slide. Kids jet through; grownups tend to drag bottom. Be especially careful of the shallow 3”- 6” deep ponds lining the flats next to the water slide. Algae covers the bottom of these shallows and they are as slippery as talcum powder on linoleum. There is a safe way to enter: sit on your butt or knees and slide across these slimy pools until you reach the slide channel. Go slow and enjoy the 58 degree water!
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Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous,
especially when you get above fifty feet; particularly
if you hit the water in any way except with your face
forward, your arms at your side, and your feet together;
and absolutely if you do not first swim your jump zone
and check for boulders or log jams under the surface.
All jump ponds in streams have the unique ability to
change depth in a short period of time due to intense
rainfall that washes in new deposits of rock and debris.
I always swim my jump zones first and dive deep to check
the bottom. If you have to hit bottom, it’s much
nicer to touch down in soft dirt or gravel instead of
large, angled rocks or sharp pointed branches embedded
in swimming hole’s floor. I speak from hard-won
experience. I was very fortunate to leave a shallow
river jump with just a serious shinbone strike and no
broken bones. The algae injected into my shin scrapes
by the sharp underwater rocks gave me a quick ride to
a 101 degree fever and weeks of infected shin bones.
The water was muddy and I didn’t check it first.
At least I didn’t dive....
A popular jumping spot in Oak Creek Canyon is Grasshopper
Point. There are safe ledges at 5 feet, 10 feet, and
even 20 feet. All of these jumps are straight down,
into a wide, 20 foot deep pond with no ledges or obstacles
below you on the way down. The 30 foot, 40 foot, and
outrageous Pine Tree ledge at approximately 100 feet
all require the jumper to throw their body outward in
order to clear the ledges below. The higher you go,
the more your jumping ledge is set back and the more
ledges below that you have to clear. In the past few
years, several jumpers/divers have died. I once climbed
up to Pine Tree and looked down. It was so far below
to that the tiny jump pond that it seemed that aperson
could easily overshoot and hit the other bank while
trying to clear the horizontally protruding 15 feet
of ledges on the way down. If it had been straight in,
I would have already done it. Even the mellow spots
along the creek that were fine last year for shallow
diving might be only 4 feet deep this year with lots
of new rocks and tree limbs beneath the surface. Be
careful and check below the water first! Always swim
your jump zone personally and inspect it by swimming
down to the approximate depth of your proposed jump!
This said, check out Grasshopper’s lower ledges
and the 50-60 foot jump immediately below the bridge
at Slide Rock State Park (Experts only! The jump pond
is shallow.) There are easy jumps at both locations
that the kids can enjoy safely, the kind that seem enormous
to a child, but are actually only 4-6 feet. For tots
and toddlers, there are many shallow pools a foot to
two feet deep that can be enjoyed on the lap of a parent.
World-famous and synonymous with “Oak Creek”, the Slide is a fabulous place for the kids. The water is tested daily for harmful bacteria (you might ingest more than just a mouthful playing here) and there are a few days especially in the Summer when the area might be closed because of unsafe levels. Closures vary greatly year to year. Wear old cut-off jeans or shorts and you won’t have a lot of people laughing at you. One of the grand entertainments here is to watch the sliders after a swift run. As they get out of the water, sometimes without their bikini top or sporting a nice big rip in their swimsuit bottom, the smiles and laughter start to echo. Your call, but remember I told you so.
A fee area on Oak Creek only 1 ½ miles north of town on Highway 89A. Grasshopper features small waterfalls ideal for a relaxing soak and cliff-jumping for the adventurous risk-takers of the family. A sizable audience is always present to watch and cheer on the jumpers. If you’re lucky you might get to observe local expert divers in the act. Swan dives, inwards, somersaults, and even an occasional mountain bike plunge provide a fun afternoon on the rocky basalt boulder beach. There used to be a dazzling rope swing until three guys decided to do a group launch. The tree broke, nobody got hurt, and that was the end of the only tree positioned correctly for a swing. Kids of all ages can have safe fun here though Grasshopper tends to draw an older crowd because of the daredevil cliff jumpers. The 3, 6, 10, and 20 foot high jumps are free of lower ledge obstructions and go straight into a very deep pond. Dad can join in the fun as safety director and the demonstrator of proper technique for the kids. Expect a lot of laughs and fun. And as always, be smart and dive the jump zones first.
Verde Valley and Northern Arizona
There are pristine pools and private swimming holes in the Verde Valley and nearby vicinity that offer an oasis-like setting. Some are just a few feet from where you park your car while others can involve a 1-2 hour hike. Some of the most outrageous localities I know require a good 3-6 hour hike and an overnight stay. “Ah, but paradise enow...”
The Blue Gem
Situated near the top of Rarick Canyon, this year-round waterhole is surrounded by polished cliffs and plenty of jump approaches. I swam the entire 50 foot jump zone and never touched bottom during my safety dives. To get to the Gem requires a 400 foot descent into the canyon. There is no trail or easy access unless you start up canyon and hike down 3 miles or so. For novice bush-whackers that might be the preferred route. On my first visit I made a 60 foot leap into the cool waters, my highest jump ever, and had one arm not quite tucked in close to my body. It felt like my arm had been pulled from the socket and gave me grief for an hour or so. Jumps like that remind you that it’s not all fun and games. It was not the highest leap point either... Upper Rarick Canyon runs parallel to I-17 just west of the Stoneman Lake exit. This exit, #306, is located approx. 5 miles north of the Sedona Interstate 17 exit (Exit 298). Get off on exit 306 and take the first frontage road south for about a mile to the obvious highway department gravel pit. Drive as far back as your car can safely proceed and park out of the way of any anticipated traffic. Rarick Canyon forms the eastern edge of this gravel yard. A short hike to the edge will give you a nice view of the fantastic canyon below. To spot the Blue Gem, hike north, upslope, along the canyon’s edge for maybe 10 minutes until the only year-round waterhole in this section of the canyon’s depths becomes visible below you. From there you choose your precarious descent route. It’s a fairly dangerous cross-country scramble down and back to this gem. Lots of loose rocks and gnarly shrubs demand a careful approach, especially if you have multiple hikers in your group attempting this kung-fu approach. Several steep slopes with loose surface rocks require a one-at-a-time descent/ascent at any steep spots with the other scramblers standing out of the way of rolling rocks. Once you reach bottom it’s a short jaunt to the swimming hole. Unless you thrive on hiking challenges and have a lot of experience at this sort of cross-country hiking dangers, consider this Blue Gem as a great spot for an overnight campout, hiking in the easy way from up canyon, rather than making the tough journey over the canyon edge. Bonus: This canyon is also known for the “Lost City” archaeological site, a fortress-style, multi-room pueblo almost immediately across from your vantage point at the gravel pit. This amazing site has dozens of unique petroglyph panels on dark grey basalt boulders spread throughout the pueblo. Look for the place where the canyons split and you’ll spot the lowest tip of the peninsula of land that divides two canyons, Rarick and Mullican, and hosts this difficult to reach site. Getting there is easiest by driving in and hiking from the opposite side of the canyon off dirt roads leading in from the Apache Maid Mountain area. Make sure you have a good Coconino National Forest map as well as the specific Topo map for the area, the Casner Butte Quad.
