Carney Springs Waterfall - Gold Canyon, Arizona

john terberg

Waterfall was flowing great yesterday after the rain. The green hills and desert backdrop made us feel like we were in Sedona. I recommend hiking to Wave Cave and, on the way down, take the connector over to Carney Falls at the split before The Lost Goldmine trial. It makes a great semi-loop.

Elizabeth Jester

The trail is not very well marked, easy to get lost if you don't have a map. I had to use the All Trails navigating app. When you park there is a sign explaining the history of the area, some cardinal directions, and that is it. To the left is the trail and there is a single marker. That's it. There are some posts along the way at the beginning but nothing else. Also had to assist people who were lost using the app. There are many forks in the trail where you can go left right or straight. Other than that, it was beautiful. They need better signage and markers. It is a 3 mile trail one way. So six miles altogether. Also recommend wearing actual hiking boots as there are many loose rocks. Tennis shoes will not suffice. There is not much shade bring a gallon of water at least. Do not recommend bringing dogs or animals as there are lots of pokeys that got stuck in my baby's fur. Parking is free.

Shaka Cave

It's an amazing place and very strange that anybody would rate the very best waterfall in the entire Superstition Mountains anything other than 5/5.

Cynthia

close your eyes and feel the energy as you lay down and connect with the earth❤️. Listen closely to the water it was so soothing. It’s very beautiful and a cool little hike .

Scott Hika

My Trip to the Carney Springs waterfall was amazing! Monsoons in July brought an incredible heavy flow to the rare small canyon. The Superstition Wilderness was covered in fog as the waterfall thundered. It was an awesome sight and I wish I could add video to share here. The waterfall trail is a fork off of the Shaka Cave trail.

Please use caution during the rain and when the waterfall is flowing. The waterfall is not dangerous per se. Be aware that rocks sometimes fall with the water down the 240 foot drop (like they can fall from any tall waterfall). The trail can be soft when raining, so please step on the high side of the trail. Do not erode the fragile hillside by going off trail. Also there can be flooding on Peralta Rd when driving in, so best to plan for that as well. Enjoy an unspoiled hiking area!

Carlos Roman

Just a short hike from Shaka cave so if you made it there, might as well.

Season Cluff

It was awesome to find a waterfall in the desert and the cave was really cool, literally and figuratively, but I would only call this a moderator hike for experienced hikers. We had kids from 8-16 with us and it was rough!! Not very well marked, but which I mean not marked at all, so glad there was someone there to point us in the right trail. It got really steep in some areas and we almost gave up a few times. The waterfall at the end makes it worth it. Kind of. Proceed with caution!

Golden Harper

This was a great place to run/hike on a hot day to cool off. Fun spot!