I've Searched for this Spot for Years - The Red Box of West Clear Creek
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Published 2023-08-13
Before you see this thumbnail and think "Hey, I'm gonna go check out this beautiful swimming hole!" you should watch the entire video. West Clear Creek is a beautiful but absolutely rugged, unforgiving and remote area. And this is one of the most rugged and remote sections of that brutal country. It's either a semi-technical to technical (meaning ropes, harnesses, helmets) or a 2~3 day hike/swim from a 'normal' trailhead. The roads are trash too, so high clearance 4WD is required. It's pretty. But it's extremely difficult to access.
Anyway.....
If you are familiar with the Hanging Gardens, then you probably have heard of the White Box of West Clear Creek. Essentially it is a long section of slotted up canyon alternating between swims and boulder hopping. I've heard of a similar section in West Clear Creek that was called the Red Box, but I have never seen a picture or spoken to anyone who has been there. So I've tried to get there. For years I've tried to get there. And over and over, I failed. Finally, my buddy Nick said he'd found a path that would drop you in just downstream from the fabled Red Box.
Things immediately did not go as planned when we saw a landslide had knocked out the section of canyon we planned to descend. After some searching, we found an alternate route. I want to stress that the route we took was NOT an established trail. There were sections were a hand line was required. We found the old, tattered remains of previous handlines....probably left there years ago by the person Nick got the route from. So you have to bring your own. (We took ours with us.)
Eventually we got to the bottom. And we found we'd dropped directly into the section I'd been looking for. The Red Box of West Clear Creek. I can't describe how beautiful this section of the canyon was. The video will do that for me anyway.
And then West Clear Creek reminded me why it's so infamous. I slipped and twisted my ankle. I was lucky enough that it wasn't so bad that I couldn't walk, but it certainly didn't feel good. I rested for a bit while Nick went out and did Nick things.
When he got back, we headed back to the exit. I was excited to sit and rest some more while we waited for the sun to go down. Did I mention it was over 100 degrees and the exit was full sun? It was. Because I'm an expert planner.
Anyway, Nick is not the wait around type, so he continued downstream and I followed. Kind of out of spite. Mostly out of spite. OK, it was entirely out of spite. I'm glad I did though, because after just a short bit we came to the most amazing spot I've seen in West Clear Creek. There was a section with a small waterfall, followed immediately by an alcove with a large tree and a gushing spring. Immediately after this was the most gorgeous section of narrows. I'm glad I went. Don't tell Nick.
Then it was time to leave. On the way out, the day's activities caught up with me. I quickly started to struggle. I'd love to say it was the heat or my ankle, but it was probably just that I'm out of shape and ran out of steam.
But we made it to our trucks and on to Camp Verde for some Mexican food. We may or may not have broken the speed limit to make it before they closed.
If you're reading this, I will give you a cookie. I always wonder if people read these things.
I'm lying. There are no cookies. You get nothing. But thanks for reading this anyway.
Music by Artlist:
Yoed Nir - Cello Suite No1 in G Major
Damon Power - Our Last Memory Dance
Tankestrom - Be Still the Earth
HillTopTrie - Sloop John B
The Duke of Norfolk - Dylan Thomas Bitter Bitter
Israel Wasserman - Under My Skin
Music by Epidemic Sound:
Son Habana - Escucha Mi Salsa
All Comments (21)
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Hung out in west clear creek in the late 1970s, starting down the road from strawberry and hiking to camp Verde. Found a million caves and box canyons, natural springs and unique humming birds that start at the tops of the tallest pines then dive straight down the trunks and straight back up over and over. And hieroglyphics in numbers beyond count. Thousands of trips. And it was one of Arizonas best kept secrets.
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WOW. BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for taking me there. 😊
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As a 84 year old woman I would give anything to be there !
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Fun to see that creek again. Went in twice 1974 and 76 while at NAU. Caught a 25” brown and won a Ruff’s contest. 2nd trip sprained an ankle in the box canyon playing frisbee. Had to pack out days later, using t-shirts and sticks to splint it. Nasty hike out. On crutches for two weeks…can empathize 👍
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Thank you for sharing the places that most of us will never see. Absolutely beautiful 😍
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The ones that make you suffer the most are the most memorable. I can't tell you how much I love your channel. I grew up in Provo Utah and every spring break I was down in Southern Utah exploring. Thank you so much for another awesome episode.. 👍
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You really gave WCC it's justice (Thanks) - it's a amazingly beautiful place that hasn't been ruined by us humans (yet)😊
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It’s pretty cool to see all the places you go. Born and raised in AZ and never explored the land like you do. Thanks for taking us along.
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Jerry, your videos and editing have gotten really polished over the last few years, really cool to see you develop your own style. This place looks so relaxing you almost forget how tough it was to get there/get out. I might have to research a way down myself.. Glad the ankle wasn't as bad as it could've been!
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Thank you for bringing us along to this spiritual and majestic place. You captured awesome footage and I feel so blessed to see it. Grateful thanks.
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What a magical place….a rebirth experience it seems. Excellent capture, you took me along. Thank you for your sacrifice.
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Thanks for sharing! The best thing about the desert is an oasis and Arizona has plenty of these outta the way places that are rarely seen by humans. It’s fortunate that there’s no highway to this spot and it’s not designated or identified on a map. These are hidden gems and sacred places that should be kept secret so the masses don’t ruin them, I know many of them here in Arizona.
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What a magnificent place. Simply stunning. I can see why you tried to find it. Thanks for taking us with.
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Absolutely gorgeous videography in a gorgeous place. Well done! I miss the canyon country of AZ and UT so much.
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Sweeet Jeebus! Talk about perseverance paying off. Dynamic and beautiful. Clearly you made it out safely. Gotta love the moments where you’re digging deep and pushing far. Kudos😅👍
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The Red Box was absolutely stunning. Nick and Jerry Adventures are always amazing. Thank you for sharing this experience. Hope the ankle heals up soon.
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That arch up there is where the knot popped out of the ancient giant tree limb, before it petrified, or maybe after. Your video is amazing. Thank you so much !!!!
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WOW that’s a paradise location. Now that’s a real natural beauty . Thanks for letting us see it 👍
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Can't wait to see what's next on your bucket list. Stunning footage.
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Inspiring as always. I appreciate your candid commentary on the difficulty and your struggle. Keep adventuring.
