Hidden Waterfalls

Stuck away and unseen by off-road enthusiasts is a sweet treasure in a most unlikely place. The rugged mountain terrain in Tonto National Forest offers limitless vistas and postcard quality scenery including rare boulder formations that boggles the mind. Lloyd and I, Rose and Cliff, convoyed with their friends Mike and Carolyn to some hidden waterfalls they had discovered by accident on a previous trip. We took the Table Mesa Road exit at I-17 and after unloading our ATVs we headed east toward Seven Springs. For a while I thought we'd made a mistake, we were looking forward to an ATV trail that was a challenge and here we are on a smooth gravel road. I remarked " we could have brought our car", at about that time the road gave way to a teeth rattling, boulder-strewn trail. We picked our way over and around the boulders, crossing washes and careening around to avoid deep ruts. There are places along the way where the rubber leaves the road. On Arizona back roads there are two types of road conditions: Muddy or dusty. We encountered the latter. Even though our priority was navigating the obstacles on the trail, during the seventeen mile tour we traveled through the vast wilderness and observed incredible sweeping views from vantage points along the way. The steep and winding trail growing steeper and rougher with each mile took us across streams with huge cottonwood trees growing along the banks. Spring flowers dotted the mountainsides among the ocotillas, chollas and gaint saguaros with arms reaching skyward. Massive boulders piled one on the other is a mystery I can't solve. Reaching our destination hungry and dusty we picnicked before we hiked to the discovery that awaited. Hiking south without a trail to follow, we picked our way through prickly pear cacti and " just-a-minutes", thorny desert shrubs that reach out and dig into your skin and clothing, having to be pulled out one by one. After Carolyn freed Rose from the clutches of the hostile plant, we maneuvered downward through brush and over rocks toward the sound of water falls. Then the most amazing spectacle came into view. There, unscathed by human contact were a series, about five, of water cascades flowing through crevices cut deep into granite boulders, which took thousands of years to form into what we see today, flowing into pools of crystal clear water eight to ten feet deep. The granite boulders, light gray in color, large as cars, made slick and smooth from being washed by flowing water. The Arizona deserts and mountains have many secrets in out-of-the-way places waiting to be discovered. If you should happen upon these natural treasures, take nothing but photos.....leave nothing but footprints. Saner folk would probably have chosen an adventure less challenging, as for us...would we do it again? YOU BET WE WOULD.