grand falls of the little colorado river

Some people have said it isn't worth while going. I beg to differ. It is an amazing place and the water runs not only in the spring but at other times as well. Whenever it rains heavily and during the monsoon season, the water runs very well. Chocolate Falls/Grand Falls is a natural waterfall system located 30 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona in the Painted Desert on the Navajo Indian Reservation.At 185 feet tall, it is taller than Niagara Falls. It dumps snow melt or monsoon rain into the Little Colorado River below. It is famous for its extremely muddy flow which is a major contributor to Little Colorado River opacity. It is said that the waterfalls are analogous to flowing chocolate depending on the amount of water present. Heavy rains or snow melt will produce spectacular viewing, photography and sound whereas the scarcity of water will produce only trickles or no flow at all. There is covered areas to sit but there are no toilets or anything else. You can hike down below as well, just be careful going down.To get there, from I-17 N take I-40 East to Exit 211. Turn Left onto Townsend Winoa Rd. In about 2 miles, turn Right onto Leupp Rd. Now it gets a bit tricky. Look for road 6910 (it should be somewhere between Mile Markers 5 and 6). Turn Left (North) onto 6910 (however if you see a road marked Grand Falls Rd., or even 6920, they will all merge together and get you to the destination). Take 6910 approx.. 9.4 miles and veer left just before you get to the river. If you get to the River, back track a few hundred feet and head in a Westerly Direction. You should see the Falls just after you crest a hill.

This is so hard to get to that it really isn't worth it unless the falls are running, which is the spring time. There were no vendors, this place is totally isolated, so I think another reviewer had this confused with another location. That said, if you visit in the spring you will find it worth the adventure!

This is where the Wallenda guy walked across a tight rope. Besides great views, there are Navajo Indians selling plenty of trinkets to take home to the kids.

First off. The coordinates are 35.4275° N, 111.2008° W. I'm surprised these aren't on here. A good portion of your travel will be on a dirt road, then another small portion will be over lava rocks. Make sure you have decent ground clearance. The drive was more of the highlight of the trip for us as we couldn't find the route to hike down the canyon, nor were there any falls. If you want to go drifting, go here, otherwise, this one can be skipped.

This was not what we expected. I was thinking it is a grand attraction with a visitor center, parking lot, bathrooms and at the very least other people and paved roads. OH NO! Other reviewers talk of people selling things and it being busy, maybe it was the off season, but we went on 10/26/2014, there was not a soul in site. The falls are way out in the middle of no where, it takes a good 30 minutes on a road, the road it maintained and we did it in a car, but very bumpy and a little sketchy at times in our tiny little car, but it did just fine. Once we got there (there were no signs leading us there) we saw 4 or 5 little look out towers, and not a thing more. No people, picnic tables, stairs, paths down, I mean nothing! It was like we just stumbled upon this amazing feature. The falls were running, there was a good amount of water and the site was incredible. Up on top is a very flat plateau with a river, then there are the falls and a huge "bowl" around them, and then the river leading back out. We looked around and found a way down, it wasn't too bad, but not the easiest hike either. Once we were down in the "bowl" it was magnificent, absolutely amazing. Standing hundreds of feet below the surface in a giant rock bowl, you feel like a speck of dirt, and the falls rushing in front of us, just spectacular. - There is a lot of garbage that the falls carry down, and the surface was muddy, but we were prepared for that and completely blown away.

Grand Falls are dry most of the year. I've been there during the dry times, and I thought seeing the falls dry as a bone was a sight too. I've been a couple of times when the falls were running, and it's pretty amazing to see. The are the muddy falls. Best time to go is when snow is melting, and the Monsoon has started. Part of the drive is on dirt. Not a problem, we've driven it in our Camry. Have a great time!

Grand Falls or better known as Chocolate Falls is a spectacular site in the spring time right after the first snow melt or after a substantial rain storm. It is reminiscent of Niagra Falls except that the water is chocolate in color due to the mud it picks up from the Colorado river and normally dry tributary. It is definitely worth seeing however you should be aware that you must drive a good five miles on a dirt road to access the falls. Four wheel drive is not required but could be very helpful, especially if it just rained.

We stop by on our way back from the Grand Canyon. When it rains the flow of the falls is awesome and worth a side trip to enjoy. The locals are out in force selling Native Jewelry and such and bargain prices...

When we get the first big snow melt in the mountains the Little Colorado flows! Then the falls are spectacular. Be aware that the water is extremely muddy. "Too thin to farm and too thick to drink". The road in can be a little rough. High clearance would be advised. This is Navajo land. Depending on timing, the falls can range from a one star to a five star.

Amazing sight. Hard to reach but a good side trip. Also known as Chocolate Falls as that is what the rushing water looks like...melted chocolate.

As others have written, the Grand Falls are part of the Little Colorado River and are on Indian lands. The best and only time to go is March and April and only if there has been sufficient snowfall during the winter for snow melt in the Spring. The road is very rough and long but the payoff is surprising and spectacular. It is literally out in the middle of nowhere, but the views of the falls and the river are incredible and also the views of the snow capped eastern slopes of the San Francisco Peaks as a back drop. Breathtaking! We went a couple of years ago following a snowy winter.

Worth every minute. Rare sight in Arizona. You will never see anything like this in AZ. We spent about 1 hour getting there and spent another hour there. Hiked down into river ravine. Best part was going down. It's an easy hike. Not sure if worth going if water is not flowing. Got some great pictures.

The Grand Falls of the Lower Colorado River is a great place to visit - worth the bad roads to get there. This was my second visit; this time we were there in mid-March 2014. Unfortunately it seems Flagstaff had a lean snow year so the Falls did not have a high volume of water - bummer! This is a seasonal waterfall, so if you go later in the year it may be completely dried up.The roads to get there are not in great shape but most cars should be able to handle it. There are not a lot of signs to get to the Falls, so have good directions before you start.We had the area to ourselves on a lovely Sunday afternoon. We hiked to the bottom - not a bad trail, but we were surprised by how much trash was scattered everywhere - that was a bit disappointing.

You should plan to go in the spring when the snow melt is heavy. The falls are an amazing site, in the middle of nowhere, but so totally worth the drive. It is several miles on a gravel road, that is not that well maintained but you can make it with a reasonably good vehicle.

hard to get to, little signage along roads and it is truly rare there is actually water going over falls as most is diverted for other usages