December 14, 2009 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
The rugged
Superstition Wilderness Area preserves some of Arizona’s most beautiful
natural wonders. One of these natural wonders is a one hundred and
ninety-six-foot waterfall near Castle Dome Peak. This waterfall can be
found in a deep canyon about three miles north of the old Reavis Ranch.
The water from this fall tumbles over a
basalt escarpment that traverses the flow of Reavis Creek. Reavis Creek
is the main feeder stream for the fall. Most of the water that flows
down Reavis Creek originates from seeps, springs, and ground water that
percolate down through aquifers that underlie the region. Water flows
over the fall year around except during extended periods of drought.
This would probably classify the fall as intermittent. Reavis Fall is
one of Arizona’s highest falls.
A trip to Reavis Fall is not for the
novice hiker or horse person because the terrain is extremely rough with
many deeply dissected canyons with perpendicular walls. The shortest
and safest route to Reavis Fall is from the Reavis Ranch Trail Head
three miles south of State Route 88, the Apache Trail. Often this
parking lot is full on the weekend during the winter months. A trip into
the waterfall requires about three and half hours on the trail. The
last time I was over the trail it was in extremely poor condition and
some areas were almost impassible.
Photographing this isolated fall can be a
challenge even for a good photographer because of the precipitous
cliffs, dense undergrowth, cold water, lighting and poor camera angles.
Walking up Reavis Creek is a nightmare of dense underbrush, large
boulders, numerous water crossings and always the possibility of a flash
flood. Upon arriving at the base of the fall a photographer will
encounter other problems such as mist resulting from the action of the
water flowing over the basalt ledge. A lot of the water turns to mist in
its almost two hundred foot drop from the top of the fall. The second
major problem at the base of the fall is adequate lighting. Light
conditions at the base of the fall are poor under the best of
conditions.
The National Registry of Place Names
never officially named this fall. The name of the fall does not appear
on any official maps produced by the county, state or federal
government. It is quite apparent the name used today for the fall
originates from an earlier settler who lived here between 1874 and1896.
His name was Elisha Marcus Reavis.
The naming of the fall may have been
ignored in a deliberate attempt to protect the fall from too many
visitors or maybe just an oversight on behalf of forest service or
U.S.G.S cartographers. Some individuals I have interviewed over the
years believed the forest service wasn’t aware of the existence of the
fall. This is highly unlikely because the original goal of the forest
preserve (Tonto National Forest) was to protect the watershed of the
Salt River drainage system. Periodicals indicate there was knowledge of
the fall as early as 1878. Military records indicate the fall was known
during campaigns in the area between 1872 and 1874. Elisha Reavis told
friends about the fall and even showed the fall to a few hearty souls as
early as 1878.
Boy Scouts from the Theodore Roosevelt
Council traveled to Camp Geronimo, Pineair, Reavis Ranch for summer camp
on June 16, 1922. While at Camp Geronimo the scouts were involved in a
variety of activities, including hiking. Several of the scouts hiked to
Reavis Fall (or Maiden Prayer Glen as it was called by some of the scout
leaders). It was such 1922 Arizona’s Governor Thomas Campbell visited
the scouts in camp at Pineair. Seventeen years later the Department of
Agriculture would authorize the forming of the Superstition Primitive
Area.
To describe Reavis Fall area is like
painting a picture of a true mountain “Garden of Eden” in the heart of
the desert. The area includes Cottonwoods, Sycamores and numerous
climbing vines at the base of the fall. Juniper, Pinyon pine and a few
Ponderosa pines can be found at the top of the fall. At the base of the
fall there is a large plunge pool measuring twenty to thirty feet across
and four to five feet deep when there is sufficient flow that dominates
the area. The water in this pool is usually crystal clear except during
runoff after a major storm in the area.
Visitors called the area “Maiden Prayer
Glen” in the 1920’s using the name to describe the beauty of this
region. This was another name for an interesting landmark in the
Superstition Wilderness Area.
Author’s
note: The Theodore Roosevelt Boy Scout Council’s first Camp Geronimo
was held at Pineair along Reavis Creek seventeen years before the region
became part of the Superstition Primitive Area in 1939.