Deep Water Soloing

Take a day trip out to Winslow with nothing but shoes and a canoe.

  

 Those rare occasions when it gets too hot in Flagstaff, it's time to spend a day climbing over deep waters in Winslow. A group of about six of my climbing friends and I hauled three canoes out to a place called Clear Creek.
 
 







We paddled along a river lined with boulders until the boulders morphed into cliffs of rock with every style of climbing, between 20 and 60 feet high. Almost like the Grand Canyon! Just kidding.

The idea is to take your boats to the bottom of the climb, put on your shoes, get on the wall, and go up. Once we got to the top, we had the choice of either down-climbing or throwing our shoes back into the boat and jumping into the water. Most places, the water goes deep and straight down. Minimal risk, for sure, and the water is a good refresher from being in the sun--we were in the sun the whole time pretty much.

The routes are hard to find, but that's the fun part. You paddle down and if something catches your eye, you give it a go. We had some fails, and some successes, and that was a part of the experience. I fell quite a bit, but I also made it to the top of some stellar climbs and cliff jumped. Bring a group of good friends, some cheese and crackers, maybe a hat, and have a wack at it.

Access: From Flagstaff, drive East to Winslow. Go through the town and get on the 87 South. Take a left onto Sandy Drive, and from there signs will direct you to the river recreation area. You should arrive at a picnic area next to a river just after you cross a bridge. It takes about 1.5 hours. From there, take your kayaks/boats and paddle westward. It's a little over a mile until you see some quality climbing routes.