Chocolate Falls

This Saturday, Barry Stewart and I traveled north to visit the Grand Falls of Arizona, often referred to as the “Chocolate Falls” for obvious reasons. The unique colour of the water is due to large quantities of silt, picked up by the Little Colorado River as it flows to the falls.

The Little Colorado River is a tributary of the Colorado River providing the principal drainage from the Painted Desert region. Together with its major tributary, the Puerco River, it drains an area of 26,500 square miles (69,000 km²) in eastern Arizona and western New Mexico. It flows into the Colorado River near Cameron, AZ.

The Grand Falls of Arizona are located 30 miles (48.3 kilometres) northeast of Flagstaff, in the Painted Desert on the Navajo Nation. At 185 feet (56 meters) tall, it is taller than Niagara Falls. It is known for its extremely muddy flow. Heavy rains or snow melt will produce spectacular viewing, photography and sound, principally in the months of March and April. During the rest of year the flow is reduced to a trickle or no flow at all.

While photographing the falls, I had the opportunity to take a few action shots of kayakers launching into the rapids below the falls for a 14 mile (22.5 kilometres) trip down the river. What this picture shows well is the nature of the silty water, very viscous and opaque .

This next picture is a close-up of the cascading water striking a rock at the base of the falls. I’ve given it an abstract look which I don’t do often but I like how it looks in this instance.

This photograph was taken down below the surrounding cliffs at the level of the waterfall’s base. A different perspective on the falls.

I conclude with a black and white photo of another rock absorbing the energy from the falling water. No abstract this time, no colour. The contrast of the lights and shadows portrays well the raw power of the waterfall.

This is a great area to visit and to photograph. I look forward to my next opportunity to visit there again.