Water Wheel Falls

Water Wheel Falls

Water Wheel Falls
4.5
Bodies of WaterNational ParksNature & Wildlife AreasWaterfalls
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Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles61 reviews
Excellent
44
Very good
9
Average
7
Poor
1
Terrible
0

Oc3anM0m
Frisco, TX139 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
Water Wheel Falls and the Horton Trail were our favorite hikes while in the area. Just a really pretty hike! We are adventurous 53 yr old women and not in the best shape but loved this. Take this trail to the left of the bathrooms, don’t go right. The old water wheel is near the beginning of the trail, away from the creek a bit on your left. A lot of people walk straight to the creek and miss it. The trail is a rock and bouldering experience along the edge of the creek, so wear hiking shoes that have a good grip.
Written 30 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Skywizzard
Prague, Czech Republic157 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023 • Family
Great place to go in the summer with two boys (13/10) and have them enjoy nature. I was hesitant writing a review so it doesn’t get all overcrowded by “influencer” taking all that fancy pictures.
If you want to cool down and you do not fear an hike that is a little bit more on the difficult side, this is the place to go.
Written 24 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

diangeltravel
Phoenix, AZ1,211 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2020 • Couples
Very easy to get to the fall! We went in April and since the parking was closed due to the Covid-19 , we parked on the side of the road along with other cars! I was surprised to see many people there. From there it only took us about 10-15 minutes to get to the fall. There is a small one and if you go a little further you will see a bigger one ... not that big though like you would expect! You have to go up the rocks to have a better view. Some people were getting into the water , I just got in with my feet and it felt so refreshing . The temperature was great ... sunny but not as hot as Phoenix. I live in Chandler ( East Valley ) and to get there it only took 1.5 hours.
Written 9 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gerundorchid
Tucson, AZ35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2022 • Family
This is a River or maybe it’s a creek with hiking trails and a series of small waterfalls. Very easy trails that seem to go on for miles. We packed water and lunch and had a picnic. There are at least two porter potties in the vicinity. If you like bodies of water and hiking this is great! Our youngest was 7, but I think a 3 yo could do it perfectly fine.
Written 23 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kimberly S
Apache Junction, AZ5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
Trailhead is just left of bathroom. Has sign boards but nothing is on them to tell you any info. Water wheel is at the start of trail to the left. Hike is beautiful with multiple waterfalls all the way to end of trail. Trail does cross over the water several times and does have rock face walking and some boulders to go around and over but an enjoyable hike still. Definitely check weather before going to avoid flash flood danger.
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lori C
96 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
We did not make it to the falls. However, the hike to the falls with beautiful and we got some great pictures. We stopped because we attempted to hike on the rocks/boulders and decided it was unsafe to continue. My husband is 78 and had problems with breathing and I slipped a couple of times on the rocks. We did not get hurt but decided it was too risky to continue. For the average hiker it wouldn't be a problem.
Written 16 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hiker
1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
We came here this morning to go hiking and it looked like it was going to be nice but we saw 3 separate areas marking a persons death within less than half a mile. The first was a tree with faded silk flowers and some children’s shoes tied around it, then a cross with someone’s name on it and the third was a sign. What happened here? We were a little freaked out and decided to leave. Can anyone tell me what happened at this place?
Written 17 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sara B
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2016 • Family
This is a great place to go with the family to escape the Phoenix heat. There are picnic spots as soon as you park and even some swimming holes. If you are up for an adventure, you can hike up the creek to the waterfalls and even more swimming holes. This starts out as a dirt trail but turns into boulders, just follow the creek! When you arrive, to start the trail you will head to the left.

Tips:
*Bring as much water as you can. The temps when we went in July were around the 100's and we were extremely hot. We couldn't even finish because we ran out of our water supply and had to head back.
*Cell phones do not work so if you are planning on meeting a group, coordinate ahead of time.
*I brought hiking boots but I would actually recommend a shoe with a good grip that could also get wet because the farther you go, the more you will need to get your feet wet.
*Get there early, this place gets PACKED!
*Please pay the fee. This is a self-pay honor system and I was disappointed to see so many people just walk by without paying. This behavior creates a stricter system where quite possibly we'll have to have pay ahead permits in the future. The fee is small compared to the fun you get to have so bring cash with you to support our forests!
**And to piggyback off of that, please pack your trash and take it out with you. Again, destructive behaviors will only hurt the future of this spot.
*Wear sunblock!
Written 6 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kaitlynn W
11 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017 • Family
We did this hike easily with two kids. One an 8 week old, and a two year old. Water was amazingly clear and beautiful! Many falls along the way to the big one, super cool! Highly recommend this hike! Fee of 6$, it's an honor system!
Written 19 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mel
Madison, WI50 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2018 • Family
Not from the area and wasn’t aware of the flood and deaths here. There are memorials so of course you think of it. It didn’t look like a path was cleared anymore? We didn’t hang too long and took the gorgeous drive thru the Tonto Forest back to the airport. Maybe the other stops were passable.
Beautiful area.
Written 13 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Water Wheel Falls - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2025)

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