Which way to the Grand Canyon?

[mkitchen]

Well, with my brother having moved here from Oregon, I have been going on some trips that I do not usually do since I have done them quite a few time before and have kind of put them in the back of my mind. But Dave wants to see the area so we have been re-visiting some old spots. It really is surprising how much you forget how scenic places are when you do not see them for a while.
Diamond Creek Road is just such a spot. Diamond Creek is the only road that actually takes you into the canyon and puts you at the bank of the Colorado river. The road is just under 20 miles long and travels north from Peach Springs, the tribal center of the Hualapai Nation, to the river. The Hualapai tribe provides day long raft trips from this point and they also charge for traveling on their roads but the is fee worth paying for the trip.

The tribe has a motel and restaurant in Peach Springs and permits can be bought there. They also have some very good food there so you might think about saving some room for a Hualapai taco when you get back.

Oops, sorry, Peach Springs is on Rt 66 (a great drive too) between Seligman AZ and Kingman AZ. If you have not ever travelled this stretch of rt 66, you should. This is the longest stretch of rt 66 that is not broken up. It goes from just west of Ashfork AZ to Needles CA and there is a lot of history and heritage within this road.

Here is the start of Diamond Creek Rd in Peach Springs.

The road is paved through town, then turns to dirt at this point. What you are seeing here is the top of an old sawdust kiln. Sawmills used these to dispose of the sawdust from milling the lumber. I used to see these all over in my youth but few are still standing.

The road is not exactly challenging but it makes up for that in scenery. The drop from Peach Springs to the river is approximately 3000 feet and all of it is doable in a passenger car, though the rocks in the road can be hard on passenger car tires.

The road starts out with some very open vistas

As you can see, the desert was very much in bloom. Actually the best I have seen it in many years.

Heck, time to go to work. I will post more in this trip very soon.
Mikey

 

[mkitchen]

Next installment

The seasonal rains that we have been blessed with this year has really helped in providing the area with a lot of color. And of course the sky in this area is always of the deepest blue a person could ask for.

Diamond Creek drops into the road near the end of the trip so you get some running water from there to the Colorado.

A bit of a waterfall along the way.

The tribe has built some nice ramadas at the end of the road. I have never asked if camping here is allowed but I would imagine that it would be.

And of course, the reason for the trip, the Colorado River.

Well once again the web is getting ridiculously slow and I need to go. So I will finish posting tomorrow.
Mikey

 

[peneumbra]

Once the monsoon starts, you need to be very careful about being on Diamond Creek Rd. More than one vehicle has been washed into the river from there...

 

[luk4mud]

Mike,

There is camping allowed there for a small fee, did it a few years back. IIRC the no see ums are pretty bad down there though!

 

[mkitchen]

Next installment

Yep no see ums can be a problem most anywhere there is water but they are seasonal. The problem is figuring out what that season is. If you get the timing wrong, you are going to be an itchy, grumpy person.

Good point about the monsoons. Most all of Diamond Creek rd is drainage for the surrounding hills. Up until last summer, I would not have been concerned but last year we had an actual monsoon period with quite a bit of rain. We were not used to getting wet monsoons. This year promises to be a wet summer as well. No complaints on that issue.

So, back to the river.

Some of the local greeters

This fellow was so sure that we had something for him to eat that he practically climbed into the truck. Wish people would stop feeding wildlife.

In addition to the very fine drive to the river, if you enjoy hiking a bit, you can hike up Diamond Creek for approximately 2 miles to the Diamond Creek falls. No trail, just follow the creek, into a canyon and then you hit the falls. All very scenic.

All in all, this road makes a good half day trip or a full day if you hike to the falls. Currently the tribe does not allow motorcycles on the road but I am working with some people I know who work for the Hualapai tribe with the goal of allowing motorcycles to traverse this route. Wish me luck.
Mikey

 

[STREGA]

Once my wife gets moved down here to the canyon (which is about 3 weeks from now) this is one of the many places on the list to go explore. Thanks for the pics.