Arizona's Grand Falls on the Little Colorado River
Mar 26, 2019; Don & Suzanne Near Leupp, AZ, East of Flagstaff, north of I-40 on Navajo Land Flow measured at Winslow 600 cfm that day.
Grand Falls is also known as "Chocolate Falls" for reasons that these photos will make clear. OK, so it should be "Milk Chocolate Falls" and not "Dark Chocolate Falls."
1 After turning off I40 east of Flagstaff, we head west-northwest on the Winona Road (AZ 99) and get this shot of the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff. The highest one is Humphreys Peak at 12,633 feet. It has had a record snowfall this winter.
2 This is Grand Falls on the Little Colorado River when Don was there with a group led by (cousin) Bob and Anni on May 1, 2013. Old USGS data available online show that the Winslow gaging station recorded a flow of 10 to 15 cfm on the day of that visit. The Winslow gaging station is the best gaging station to predict the flow at Grand Falls.
3 On this current visit (May 26, 2019), the flow was about 600 cfm, measured at the Winslow gaging station. Earlier in the month the flow had greatly exceeded this amount several times, but we didn't get there then. "You go when you can." Those large flows would have produced spectacular falls. So, with a closer eye on the data, we will be back.
4 This was taken above the falls where you can first see the flow into the location of the falls.
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6 Downstream a little from the last shot
7 From on top of the plateau just downstream of the falls.
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9 Heading on downstream, but still up on the plateau.
10 One side of the falls, showing some huge rocks that have, over the millennia, broken off and rolled into the falls. A sense of scale is provided by the people near the ramada on the plateau above the falls.
11 Grand Falls is over 181 feet tall. For comparison, Niagara Falls is 176 feet and the actual waterfall is only 70 feet due to rocks at the base.
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15 Starting down the trail that leads to places to view the falls from below
16 Now on the trail..
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18 The person down at the bottom gives a perspective on size
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24 Don is now back up on the plateau and practicing a swan dive which he will make into the abyss ... NOT.
