Verde River Description

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Verde River Canoe Challenge River Description
White Bridge to Beasley Flats

Mileage: 10 miles
Elevation Change: 3080 to 2980
River Difficulty: Class I, II, and III (depending on river level)

Warnings:

	Private land
	Undercut river bank, river left, just below confluence with West Clear Creek.

Motorized access points:
      White Bridge (Rte. 260) where it crosses the Verde River.
      Salt Mine Road into Beasley Flats (FR 574 to 527 to 334 ).
      West Clear Creek, off FR 574.

Downstream from the put-in at the White Bridge, the creek braids and comes together through a series of marshy ruins and small islands. It is peaceful and intimate. Nothing you encounter is higher than a Class II. There is almost always enough water for you to stay inside your boat.

This section is rightly attracting attention from anglers (bass and catfish), bird watchers and recreationists who want a different, pleasant day's outing. Some of the local canoe rental companies may rent you a paddle to paddle your canoe, if you want to concentrate on fishing or looking for birds. Other outfitters will rent you an inflatable kayak and provide you lunch. This trip can be divided into half, if you make arrangements with one of the canoe rental places. They can usually get an access point on private land partway into the trip.

As the trip unfolds, you move closer to the Black Hills. You will also paddle past some very well-to-do homes.

The General Crook Highway (White Bridge) is shown on the Recreation Opportunity Guide: Verde River map as being located at FRM 69. From here to Sheeps Crossing, at FRM 10. This description will present two different sets of mile notices: FRM, referring to the Recreation Opportunity Guide: Verde River map, and TRM referring to the continuous trip down the Verde from Morgan Ranch.

This entire segment is a restful, pretty and easy paddle down a rural creek. It is an excellent choice for novice paddlers or paddlers with children. It is easily reached from Phoenix, Tucson or Flagstaff by traveling I-17. It is possible to rent canoes and shuttle service in Camp Verde, as well as to make arrangements with outfitters in Flagstaff. The scenery and fishing are both noteworthy. This segment is the one I recommend for your first boat trip on the Verde. It is becoming very popular.

The re-entry of a drainage ditch, river left a little less than six miles into the trip, is well worth exploring. There are springs in here, so there is water always, even when the ditch itself is dry. Below this drainage on river right is the Clear Creek put-in/take-out (off FS574). It has a small dirt parking area and a bathroom. The trail to the river is steep but short.

Below West Clear Creek the river pushes against some high white cliffs and turns right. These cliffs are undercut. That means a swimmer who gets swept up against them could find himself underneath them. The undercut is not very deep, but it would be important for a person who was swept underneath not to panic, but to calmly push off the cliffs to escape.

You are likely to miss the mouth of West Clear Creek at TRM 84, since what water that does flow usually enters without fanfare. From the Verde, the mouth often appears to be just an extensive rock bar on river left. This is another spot where the Forest Service plans to add river bank campgrounds. You move past more cottonwoods and gain sights of Squaw Peak, which is the geographic center of Arizona. The river curves east, then northeast to find a way around Beasley Flats. Hitting another set of cliffs river left, the creek turns south. (The quick water at these cliffs is called "Rollo Uno" or "Numero Uno" by some paddlers.)

You are now paddling along Beasley Flats. There are a number of possible takeouts. Most folk go to the Forest Service river access point, where you can drive right down to the creek.

You are at FRM 59.5 when you reach this access point.

Source: Slingluff, J. (1996). Verde River Recreation Guide. Phoenix, AZ: Golden West Publishing.

[Class] [Verde River Canoe Challenge Information]