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March and early April during the annual White Mountains snow melt, especially after heavy rains is the best time to visit Grand Falls aka chocolate falls. No waterfalls during fall and winter. When water is flowing heavily, the view is spectacular and I highly recommend this short trip from Flagstaff. Upper area is accessible, although it's not paved but I saw one person with a wheel chair. To get to the bottom of the waterfalls area, good trekking shoes are recommended. No running water outhouse is there but no toilet paper. Bring your own. Direction: From I-40, 15 miles east of Flagstaff, take exit 211 at Winona. Drive 2.3 miles north to Leupp Rd. Turn right and drive 20.3 miles to unpaved and unsigned Indian Road 6910 (between mileposts 5 and 6). Turn left and drive along this rough road 9.4 miles to the turnoff on the left, which leads to the falls overlook (do not cross the Little Colorado River). High clearance vehicle recommended but not required. I saw a few four door sedans at parking lot.
Grand Falls, aka Chocolate Falls, have been on my list of places to see for a while now. I am really grateful for all the reviews that discussed the road condition leading up to the falls. It was a bumpy ride, but it was a rental vehicle. Taking a Jeep would be amazing! The falls were stunning even if the water was not flowing heavy when we were there. It's definitely worth checking out. We want to come back during the monsoons.
I have been wanting to see the Grand Falls for the past few years but see it you have to time your visit. The Grand Falls over 181ft tall and is fed by the snow melt and monsoon rain from the White Mountains and flows into the Little Colorado River. Grand Falls were created by volcanic runoff from Merriam Crater and created a lava damn. It's kind of specular. The Grand Falls got its nickname as Chocolate Falls because it is flowing muddy water. Grand falls is apx 20ish miles outside of Flagstaff, and part of the drive is on a dirt road. There is parking and its all free. Once you park and out of your car you just hear the water roaring, I have no other way of describing it. It's a loud roar, its amazing. You can hike down to the bottom of the falls as well. The falls were breathtaking and stunning to see, I am really glad I had the time to go check it out this spring.
No service?! Nooooo! Not sure what was the bloody big deal bout this waterfall. Looks a lil smaller than the photos. It's in the middle of nowhere. We could not check in. The outhouse was filthy to say the very least. No barrier to stop you from falling. Just a heads up. Got distracted when we found a trail to descend to the pool for a view. That's when our mobiles lost power. Black sand, red cliff, waterfall ... in Arizona?!!!! Whoa!!! Alright, Willy Wonka factory run-off, you got us. We'll shut up. And we all did! What a wonderful space!
Absolutely incredible! Decent water flow but low enough to walk around in between the falls. One of the best hiking experiences I've ever had. Would absolutely recommend! The road to get there is wide but has aggressive little bumps, sounds strange but you'll see what I mean. Just take it slow and you'll be fine. We made it through in my Nissan Altima no problem.
Grand Falls is a natural waterfall located 30 miles NE of Flagstaff. It's very unknown and not many people know about this place. It's on native land and you are able to look this place up on google maps. It gets it waters from the melting of the snow or from monsoon rain, so the falls are dormant for most of the months and can produce only little droplets during the off seasons. Getting here can be very rough if you don't come by a Jeep or 4 x 4. I went with a small car and my car was shaking throughout the whole dirt/gravel roads. My small car did make it all the way through and back but I highly do not recommend it. Also, there is so cell service during the whole way there so be prepared! All in all- it's a marvelous view! The falls look like chocolate waterfalls and the waterfalls were huge! I went during the beginning of March and the waterfalls were still going strong
This is one of those sights that are of the beaten path and not well known. But it's worth the detour. Getting there is a bit uncomfortable if you don't have at least a SUV since it's a rugged dirt road. Depending on the season the waterfall might not be carrying that much water. But it's still worth the visit.
Everyone keep in mind this is a hidden gem. So if you feeling like you're going the wrong way in the middle of no where chances are you're going the right way. Please don't be alarmed if you run in to dogs in the middle of no where, the dogs are there to take care of goats or maybe horses. Do be careful though as these dogs do like to dive in front of your car (it happened to us) Okay, to the good stuff. November is a horrible time to visit the falls as there is no magnificent water falls or water at all. The falls is very dried up and all you have is a dried rock bed. Unfortunately no where online did it say it was going to be dry (I checked Instagram and trip advisor who had a 1 day old review on how great the falls is and a few other websites). Instead of being infuriated I was saddened by the sight. Moving forward, I asked a few locals when is the best time to visit the falls is and it was suggested during the monsoon/ spring weather which is between April-July. Hopefully this review helps anyone who is wanting to see the grand falls !
Cool Muddy Waterfalls Not Far From Flagstaff or Winslow Arizona These are some cool waterfalls in the middle of nowhere between Winslow and Flagstaff in the Navajo nation. There is no admission charge and ample parking available to make the trip and easy. The earlier in the morning you go there the better! We got there about 9 o'clock in the morning and by 10:30 there were about 40 cars there as opposed to the two vehicles that were there when we arrived. There are some outhouse bathrooms here, but unfortunately they are locked or were at least on our visit so don't plan on going to the bathroom in those. You will want to stop and use the facilities elsewhere before you get here. These are the largest waterfalls that I have seen in Arizona, not based on the link the fall as there are higher waterfalls, but this waterfall is very wide and multilayered. It is definitely worth the trip to see this as it is an unusual waterfall. Unfortunately the bottom pool area is absolutely filled with litter, empty broken coolers, tires, and just trash like you've never seen. It's too bad nobody makes it a point to just clean the stuff up every once in a while. It looks like all of the trash that is gotten caught along the way through the entire Navajo nation all ends up at this one point. Definitely stop by and check this place out!
We visited the Grand Falls this last weekend! They are located between Winslow and Flagstaff on the Navajo nation and are connected to the Little Colorado River. It is a journey getting there because the falls are in the middle of no where but with our Jeep it was no problem. I don't suggest taking a small car because the road is a washboard and has some deep divots. The journey is well worth it. The Falls are amazing! When we arrived, we hiked to the bottom to get up close and personal. The hike can be a little difficult in a few places if you don't have shoes with good treads. At the bottom it gets super muddy. My shoe got stuck in the mud but, what isn't fun about that? A girl needs to live life to the fullest! If you do go to the bottom, I suggest taking an extra pair of shoes/flipflops and a trash bag to keep that mud out of your car. If you don't want to get muddy or can't hike there are plenty of outlooks at the top and let me tell you the view is spectacular! Before we arrived at the Falls, we stopped in at the Winslow Visitor Center for some information regarding the falls. The gentleman who helped us was very knowledgeable and helpful. He told us the falls run beginning in February but are the most beautiful beginning the end of March through April and possibly May and June depending on weather... Snow run off. After that the Falls are pretty much non-existent. This year has been great for water and snow so the water fall show is one you shouldn't miss! I can't wait for company to visit this spring so we can go visit it again!
This place has been on my bucket list and I was just waiting for the perfect chance where the water was flowing and I had a day off to make the drive. Well that occurred the other day for me and it did not disappoint! The drive out there is beautiful. The falls are amazing and I love that you can hike down to the bottom. It is a short hike down, but you will get very very muddy! Make sure to check the water flow on the website before planning to make the trek. It is absolutely worth it! read more
Grand falls is a fairly unique to Arizona attraction. The water over Grand Falls flows only with the weather, the water is fed by snow melt in the spring and monsoon rains in the summer. Visit in mid March / April to see it run from snow melt or during July / August and try to see it after a monsoon storm rolled through within the past couple of days. What makes this unique is the muddy or "chocolate" color of the water. Colloquially, Grand Falls is also known as Chocolate Falls, this is because of the chocolate color when the water is flowing. As the dry river that feeds this collects dirt, mud and debris most of the year, when the water is running the dirt from the normally dry riverbed and surrounding desert gives the unique color of mud or chocolate. The sheer force of nature here gives you some perspective on fragility of life. The sound of rushing water, the mist of water and dirt cakes everything within 100+ yards, the visual effects of falling water and multiple levels within the falls. The adventurer in me wanted to find my way down, climb my way up, go back behind the falls, and declare myself "champion of the waterfall", but the safety focussed parental side of my brain screamed, be careful, don't slip, don't hurt yourself, three points of contact when youre climbing around, test your footing before you put all your weight there. It's always a tough battle between that devil and angel when they get going. Today we compromised and I only climbed halfway down. There are a couple spots you can climb down a few feet and really get away from the crowd to take in the spectacular view of this beast. Use extreme caution though. During time of monsoon, the visitors areas are overrun with mud, your shoes will be covered and it is best if you have something you're willing to get covered in mud. What I'm trying to say is don't wear those nice loafers or driving shoes that you'd be sad to see stained, dirtied and or thrown away. During dry times or when visiting after a snowmelt, the *dry ground can be misleading. That clump of solid earth, might just be a dried up clump of mud that gives way with a few pounds of force. Be sure to test your footing with every step as you're climbing around here. The drive in, let's just say that I felt like a god passing all those people driving their Honda civics down this washboard, dirt road for 10 miles. This is what my off-road vehicle's suspension was built for. You certainly CAN take ANY vehicle to get here. There is nothing on the road driving to the falls that will be too challenging for a low clearance vehicle, but with that said, if you have the facilities to put air back in your tires, you will want to take air out of your tires when you get to the dirt road to make this drive much more pleasant, but doing so would require you to keep an air compressor in your vehicle. If you do have a compressor, take your tire's PSI down to about 20. Taking air out will give you a wider footprint which means more traction and it will also allow for more absorption of vibrations and significantly lower the awful sound of driving over washboard roads. When you're done and find the paved road again, put air back in to the level of factory specs, which can be found on the driver's door usually or the tires themselves will have a recommended PSI. If you don't have a compressor, take the road as fast or slow as you are comfortable, but man this was fun to drive at 40+ mph, passing everyone and splashing my way through every mud puddle I came across. I feel like I've accomplished one more thing on the AZ bucket list with this trip. I most certainly will add this one to my places to go when I've got adventurous family or friends in town. It truly was a fun day with spectacular views and inspiring sights of the power of nature. read more
Grand Falls is a beautiful, earth made natural attraction that is absolutely worth a visit for the whole family!! I've been wanting to see it for years but hadn't gotten the opportunity in my quick trips up to Flagstaff from the valley until this weekend. It's about an hour drive from downtown Flagstaff with a good portion on dirt and unpacked roads. The scenery on the drive up is awe inspiring and the falls really do look like something out of Willy Wonkas factory! I am really surprised that they don't charge a fee per car to go onto the reservation, as it would definitely be worth a donation at least, but it's free to visit! Grand Falls is a must see! read more
March and early April during the annual White Mountains snow melt, especially after heavy rains is the best time to visit Grand Falls aka chocolate falls. No waterfalls during fall and winter. When water is flowing heavily, the view is spectacular and I highly recommend this short trip from Flagstaff. Upper area is accessible, although it's not paved but I saw one person with a wheel chair. To get to the bottom of the waterfalls area, good trekking shoes are recommended. No running water outhouse is there but no toilet paper. Bring your own. Direction: From I-40, 15 miles east of Flagstaff, take exit 211 at Winona. Drive 2.3 miles north to Leupp Rd. Turn right and drive 20.3 miles to unpaved and unsigned Indian Road 6910 (between mileposts 5 and 6). Turn left and drive along this rough road 9.4 miles to the turnoff on the left, which leads to the falls overlook (do not cross the Little Colorado River). High clearance vehicle recommended but not required. I saw a few four door sedans at parking lot. read more
Grand Falls, aka Chocolate Falls, have been on my list of places to see for a while now. I am really grateful for all the reviews that discussed the road condition leading up to the falls. It was a bumpy ride, but it was a rental vehicle. Taking a Jeep would be amazing! The falls were stunning even if the water was not flowing heavy when we were there. It's definitely worth checking out. We want to come back during the monsoons. read more
I have been wanting to see the Grand Falls for the past few years but see it you have to time your visit. The Grand Falls over 181ft tall and is fed by the snow melt and monsoon rain from the White Mountains and flows into the Little Colorado River. Grand Falls were created by volcanic runoff from Merriam Crater and created a lava damn. It's kind of specular. The Grand Falls got its nickname as Chocolate Falls because it is flowing muddy water. Grand falls is apx 20ish miles outside of Flagstaff, and part of the drive is on a dirt road. There is parking and its all free. Once you park and out of your car you just hear the water roaring, I have no other way of describing it. It's a loud roar, its amazing. You can hike down to the bottom of the falls as well. The falls were breathtaking and stunning to see, I am really glad I had the time to go check it out this spring. read more
No service?! Nooooo! Not sure what was the bloody big deal bout this waterfall. Looks a lil smaller than the photos. It's in the middle of nowhere. We could not check in. The outhouse was filthy to say the very least. No barrier to stop you from falling. Just a heads up. Got distracted when we found a trail to descend to the pool for a view. That's when our mobiles lost power. Black sand, red cliff, waterfall ... in Arizona?!!!! Whoa!!! Alright, Willy Wonka factory run-off, you got us. We'll shut up. And we all did! What a wonderful space! read more
5 years ago
Absolutely incredible! Decent water flow but low enough to walk around in between the falls. One of the best hiking experiences I've ever had. Would absolutely recommend! The road to get there is wide but has aggressive little bumps, sounds strange but you'll see what I mean. Just take it slow and you'll be fine. We made it through in my Nissan Altima no problem. read more
Grand Falls is a natural waterfall located 30 miles NE of Flagstaff. It's very unknown and not many people know about this place. It's on native land and you are able to look this place up on google maps. It gets it waters from the melting of the snow or from monsoon rain, so the falls are dormant for most of the months and can produce only little droplets during the off seasons. Getting here can be very rough if you don't come by a Jeep or 4 x 4. I went with a small car and my car was shaking throughout the whole dirt/gravel roads. My small car did make it all the way through and back but I highly do not recommend it. Also, there is so cell service during the whole way there so be prepared! All in all- it's a marvelous view! The falls look like chocolate waterfalls and the waterfalls were huge! I went during the beginning of March and the waterfalls were still going strong read more
4 years ago
So beautiful and very meditating. But make sure you have a truck, suv, or jeep. Dirt Roads are very very bumpy read more
This is one of those sights that are of the beaten path and not well known. But it's worth the detour. Getting there is a bit uncomfortable if you don't have at least a SUV since it's a rugged dirt road. Depending on the season the waterfall might not be carrying that much water. But it's still worth the visit. read more
9 years ago
Everyone keep in mind this is a hidden gem. So if you feeling like you're going the wrong way in the middle of no where chances are you're going the right way. Please don't be alarmed if you run in to dogs in the middle of no where, the dogs are there to take care of goats or maybe horses. Do be careful though as these dogs do like to dive in front of your car (it happened to us) Okay, to the good stuff. November is a horrible time to visit the falls as there is no magnificent water falls or water at all. The falls is very dried up and all you have is a dried rock bed. Unfortunately no where online did it say it was going to be dry (I checked Instagram and trip advisor who had a 1 day old review on how great the falls is and a few other websites). Instead of being infuriated I was saddened by the sight. Moving forward, I asked a few locals when is the best time to visit the falls is and it was suggested during the monsoon/ spring weather which is between April-July. Hopefully this review helps anyone who is wanting to see the grand falls ! read more
6 years ago
What an amazing adventure we had. Worth the drive and very bumpy road. Its about 2 hr from Pine. read more
9 years ago
Cool Muddy Waterfalls Not Far From Flagstaff or Winslow Arizona These are some cool waterfalls in the middle of nowhere between Winslow and Flagstaff in the Navajo nation. There is no admission charge and ample parking available to make the trip and easy. The earlier in the morning you go there the better! We got there about 9 o'clock in the morning and by 10:30 there were about 40 cars there as opposed to the two vehicles that were there when we arrived. There are some outhouse bathrooms here, but unfortunately they are locked or were at least on our visit so don't plan on going to the bathroom in those. You will want to stop and use the facilities elsewhere before you get here. These are the largest waterfalls that I have seen in Arizona, not based on the link the fall as there are higher waterfalls, but this waterfall is very wide and multilayered. It is definitely worth the trip to see this as it is an unusual waterfall. Unfortunately the bottom pool area is absolutely filled with litter, empty broken coolers, tires, and just trash like you've never seen. It's too bad nobody makes it a point to just clean the stuff up every once in a while. It looks like all of the trash that is gotten caught along the way through the entire Navajo nation all ends up at this one point. Definitely stop by and check this place out! read more
9 years ago
We visited the Grand Falls this last weekend! They are located between Winslow and Flagstaff on the Navajo nation and are connected to the Little Colorado River. It is a journey getting there because the falls are in the middle of no where but with our Jeep it was no problem. I don't suggest taking a small car because the road is a washboard and has some deep divots. The journey is well worth it. The Falls are amazing! When we arrived, we hiked to the bottom to get up close and personal. The hike can be a little difficult in a few places if you don't have shoes with good treads. At the bottom it gets super muddy. My shoe got stuck in the mud but, what isn't fun about that? A girl needs to live life to the fullest! If you do go to the bottom, I suggest taking an extra pair of shoes/flipflops and a trash bag to keep that mud out of your car. If you don't want to get muddy or can't hike there are plenty of outlooks at the top and let me tell you the view is spectacular! Before we arrived at the Falls, we stopped in at the Winslow Visitor Center for some information regarding the falls. The gentleman who helped us was very knowledgeable and helpful. He told us the falls run beginning in February but are the most beautiful beginning the end of March through April and possibly May and June depending on weather... Snow run off. After that the Falls are pretty much non-existent. This year has been great for water and snow so the water fall show is one you shouldn't miss! I can't wait for company to visit this spring so we can go visit it again! read more
9 years ago
8 years ago
Spectacular place to visit especially after some rain in the summer or after all the winter snow melts. This hidden gem is well worth the visit. Def worth the trek. read more
10 years ago
Really hard to get to, the roads are really bumpy and unpaved Our minivan actually made it but definitely not recommended to push your luck with any other vehicle but a jeep would have been a blast The fall would have been beautiful if there was more water flow All in all, still a great adventure read more
Tucked in the heart of the Navajo Nation in the tiny little town of Leupp, Arizona is an incredible sight to behold, the Grand Falls. Like a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory the waterfalls also known as the chocolate falls look like layers of free flowing floods of chocolate milk! I felt like a kid, fighting the urge to jump into the giant mud puddle! If it wasn't for the fact that we had already diverted out of our way heading to the Grand Canyon, didn't have a change of clothes, or a ready available hose we would have gone down the short trail and jumped in! One of these days it's going to happen, I'm going to be a Mama Mud monster followed by my little adventurous muddy buddies! The Grand Falls was easy to find, off the 40 East of Flagstaff with a large sign at the entrance onto route 70. The path is unpaved, dusty and bumpy comparable to the trail into Fossil Creek. My little Hyundai handled it like a champ but I'd prefer to torture a rental for the next adventure. Per a quick check online (c/o the Leupp Chapter) there isn't a charge or permits required to hike here. What you will find is a lava dam created by volcanic run off from the Merriam Crater, flooded by the run off of the Little Colorado River after a combination of a good rain and the melting snow. We went in mid-March when the weather was in the low 70's and it was sparsely crowded. There is a covered picnic area with tourist information and covered seating areas to take a safe closer look. The bathrooms were unlocked and decent but don't forget to bring TP and hand sanitizer. This was an adventure worth taking, one of the many beautiful sights to see in AZ! read more
9 years ago
grand falls, aka "chocolate falls" is amazingly beautiful. it's worth the drive where ever you come from. the road to there is a bit rough but not terrible. we took Leupp and turned left on #6010. google maps did try to get us to turn left earlier along the way but it seemed like a private road as it had a gate. didn't want to trespass so we kept going. despite feeling lost the falls will appear. you can hear the falls as you approach. there's plenty of parking and benches. there's so many angles of pictures you will want to take. just be careful of your footing, the ground is loose. after a few pictures and moments of taking the view and beauty in we headed back to the highway. We left right before sundown and glad we did because it is very isolated and dark out there. please go visit, pick up your trash and enjoy nature! *disappointed that people don't respect nature and litter! you will see a whirlpool of trash at the bottom of the waterfall =\* read more
9 years ago
The road might jiggle your car apart getting there, but if the falls are flowing it is an amazing sight! The hike down to the falls is short, but a tad bit steep ;) Our 3 kids (5,7,&13) and dog made it down no problem! read more
8 years ago
9 years ago
Wow! What a special place! These are secret desert falls deep in Navajo Nation that run only after a storm or snowmelt. Go February March or April. It's a gravely dirt road about 20 miles off Leupp Road off the 40 about 20 miles east of Flagstaff. The hike down is rocky but easy. Or you can stay up near the parking lot for a view. They are taller than Niagra! Very cool and worth the trip! read more
9 years ago
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