River Mile: 116.5 - left
Time: 45 minutes to enjoy the first big waterfall and return.
Difficulty: Moderate to the first big waterfall. Difficult to explore farther up the canyon.
Wet or Dry?: Wet
Ideal Weather: Hot
Potential: Six Climbs and an exposed walk will have you at an unclimbable amphitheater about 0.5 miles from the river.
Elves Chasm is a steep boulder-choked canyon filled with clear water, travertine, and stunning greenery. Transparently clear pools ripple from the drip of overhanging springs, and shags of maidenhair fern cover the cliff walls. Redbud trees grow in such profusion they emulate an Eastern hardwood forest. If ever there was a natural Shangri-La, this is it.
A good destination for most of us is the third distinct waterfall up from the river. To get here, some easy scrambling and boulder hopping is necessary. This 60-foot cascade is a classic Grand Canyon scene as the clear water falls through giant fern-fringed boulders. For those with the desire and climbing ability to explore farther, a route leads up the ledges on creek left.
I could go into great detail about the six major climbs en-route to the top of Elves Chasm but if you can make it that far, you don’t nee a guidebook to tell you how to do it. All the climbs are on creek left, some moves are 5th class climbs, and others are 3rd class with big exposure. Plenty of people have fallen here. Don’t be a statistic!