Lower First Water Creek
LOWER FIRST WATER CREEK The rugged course of First Water Creek near Canyon Lake In the ragged wilderness below Canyon Lake, the gorge of First Water Creek embodies an otherworldly character that’s somewhere between Tolkien’s Middle- earth and the surface of an asteroid. The raw, craggy waterway doesn’t spill its wonders easily—it takes work to get into the heart of the remote, obstacle-ridden north end of the creek that flows between the lake and the Garden Valley area in the Superstition Wilderness near Apache Junction. But once inside, the journey serves as a sort of gateway adventure to technical canyoneering. Water lingers in a cove south of Canyon Lake Inside the narrows of First Water Canyon While this hike doesn’t require climbing gear (at least in dry conditions), it does require a fair amount of scrambling and route-finding. Right from the start, it’s a challenge. At the parking area located on State Route 88, the trail begins by the wood power line ...