Aravaipa Canyon - West End

April 17-18, 2010

We've had permits for Aravaipa Canyon from the western access since February. However, when the weekend arrived, we found ourselves in the mood for something a little more relaxed. Even with a Saturday afternoon departure from Tucson, we still had time to hike about half a mile past the narrows to a lovely spot on a sandy point with a few small trees for protection from the wind.

The water level was 19 cfs the day we arrived, but had peaked as high as 3500 cfs during the last month. High water had scoured out the trail in the lower canyon once again, and left the water uncharacteristically cloudy. However, the water temperature was surprisingly warm, and the mesas above the the canyon were covered in brittlebush, blue phacelia and lupine.