Living On A Bucket List

Ever since I saw a picture of the Little Colorado/Flax river, I knew I was hooked. The water was like nothing I had ever seen before. A glossy, shimmering, blue-turquoise color caused by the minerals travertine and limestone.

This tributary of the Colorado starts at Mount Baldy in the White Mountains and leads to the Colorado draining into it.  It is 340 miles in length and lies in the Northeast corner of Arizona providing drainage for the Painted Desert region of the United States.

The reason not many have heard of the tributary is because it’s part of the Grand Canyon, and when people go to the Grand Canyon they tend to go to more well-known spots. But to me that makes it even more beautiful, because as a traveler, I don’t want to be surrounded by a ton of people as if I were at Disney World. Travel to me should be restful, and full of adventure with friends or family. And to me a camping trip fulfills those needs, as it allows you to set your own pace to where you want to go, and as a plus, it’s more economical. Back to the little Colorado: Part of the tributary flows through a Navajo Reservation, and that happens to be where the most interesting part of the river is. As this is the part that connects with the Colorado River, it creates a contrast in the water colors when you see it. If you want to go on this part of the Flax River, you will need permission from the Navajo Reservation to be there, but it is fairly easy to secure from a Navajo Parks and Recreation Office. Famous spots on the river are Grand Falls, a majestic towering waterfall and Coalmine Canyon, where Mormons from Tuba City used to dig for coal, only to name a few spots. Be warned though that this interesting spot is not all it seems as there are scorpions, snakes and traces of uranium in the area. Yes, that’s right, uranium. This came from a spill in 1979 where 11,000 tons were spilled in an accident. Most of it has been cleaned up, but some can still be found. That should not deter you from visiting this place as the site has been confirmed safe and there is much to be gained from the natural beauty of the area. This area is certainly on my Bucket list because of its unique landscape, and because of its interesting past.

Picture credit: Wikiwand