GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
Deer Creek Falls
At mile 136.9 on the Colorado River, on the right bank, a column of white water pours off a Tapeats Sandstone cliff and lands in the river itself. Most Grand Canyon waterfalls hide up side canyons, miles from the water. Deer Creek Falls is the rare one that drops about 150 feet straight to the riverbank, close enough that you feel the spray before you are off the boat.
What makes Deer Creek more than a photo stop is what sits above it. A steep trail climbs the cliff beside the falls toward the Deer Creek Narrows, a slot the creek has cut through the sandstone, and the green spring-fed shelf above it that river runners call the Patio. The water you just watched crash into the Colorado has spent the last stretch of its life in one of the quieter places in Grand Canyon.
You reach Deer Creek the same way you reach almost everything down here: by river. Western River's
6-Day and
7-Day Grand Canyon expeditions may stop here on the way through the canyon.
Quick Facts: Deer Creek Falls
- River Mile: 136.9, right bank of the Colorado
- Feature: A waterfall that drops directly into the river, the Deer Creek Narrows slot, and the Patio above
- Falls Height: About 150 feet
- Rock: Tapeats Sandstone (Middle Cambrian, roughly 508 million years old per the National Park Service)
- Managed by: Grand Canyon National Park (National Park Service)
- Visit: Day-use river stop; a portion of the inner Narrows is closed to entry
- Trips:
6-Day and
7-Day Grand Canyon expeditions
What It's Like at Deer Creek Falls
You hear the roar of the water long before you see it. As the J-Rig noses toward the right bank, the sound builds, and then it finally appears; a single, white column of water pounding into a pool below just 200 yards from where you step onto the sand. Many guests head straight for the base. The air moves with the falling water. Stand close, and the cool, constant spray finds you, instantly revitalizing and so refreshing.
For guests who want more, a steep trail climbs the cliff beside the falls. Within a few minutes the river drops away below and the canyon closes in, the Tapeats walls of the Deer Creek Narrows rising smooth and close. Along the way, ancient handprints are pressed into the rock, a reminder that people have been coming to this water for a very long time. To protect significant cultural resources, the National Park Service closes a portion of the inner Narrows, from the Patio down to the base of the falls, to climbing and entry, and guides keep the group to what is open.
Higher up sits the Patio, a green shelf where springwater seeps from the rock and ferns grow in a place that has no business being this lush. People go quiet up here. After days of big country and big water, it asks for a different voice.
When it is time to go, you walk back down toward the sound of the falls and the river waiting beyond it.
How You Reach Deer Creek Falls
Deer Creek belongs to the river. There is no road to it. The only way in on foot is a committing backcountry route from the North Rim, down the Bill Hall Trail and across Surprise Valley, a multi-day trip that the National Park Service permits as wilderness backpacking, not a day hike. For nearly everyone who stands at the base of the falls, the way in is a raft.
From the water it is one of the easier shore stops to start and one of the more rewarding to finish. The base of the falls is roughly a 200-yard walk from the boats, so even guests who skip the climb get to stand in the spray. The trail up toward the Patio is steep and on uneven rock, a choice each guest makes by how the day feels and how their legs feel. Guides set the pace, the turnaround, and what is open to enter.
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Why a Waterfall Falls Straight Into the River Here
Deer Creek runs through Tapeats Sandstone, a rock the National Park Service dates to the Middle Cambrian, more than 500 million years ago, when this part of the continent sat beneath a shallow sea. Fed by perennial springs, the creek carved a slot through that hard sandstone, and where the slot reaches the edge of the inner canyon, the water runs out of cliff and falls the rest of the way to the Colorado.
The narrows above the falls are doing the slower version of the same work the big river does below: water cutting stone, one season at a time. Upstream sits Tapeats Creek and, above it, Thunder River, a spring that bursts straight out of the canyon wall and is among the shortest rivers in the country. Deer Creek is part of that same system of water hidden inside the rock, surfacing where the geology lets it. The falls sit at river mile 136.9, and the whole drainage lies within Grand Canyon National Park.
Deer Creek is also a place of deep cultural significance to the canyon's Native peoples. Western River treats it as a place we have the privilege of visiting, not a stop to be checked off, and guides ask guests to walk it with that in mind.
Deer Creek Falls: Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deer Creek Falls in the Grand Canyon?
Deer Creek Falls is at mile 136.9 on the Colorado River, on the right bank, in the western half of Grand Canyon. It sits at the mouth of Deer Creek, where the creek drops off a Tapeats Sandstone cliff straight into the river, all within Grand Canyon National Park. It is not reachable from either rim as a day trip; the practical way to see it is from the river.
How tall is Deer Creek Falls?
Deer Creek Falls drops about 150 feet from the lip of the cliff to the river. What sets it apart from most Grand Canyon waterfalls is the landing: it falls almost straight into the Colorado, rather than into a side-canyon pool a long hike away.
How do you get to Deer Creek Falls?
By river. There is no road, and the only foot route is a multi-day backcountry backpack from the North Rim (the Bill Hall Trail across Surprise Valley), permitted by the National Park Service as a wilderness trip. On a Grand Canyon rafting trip the falls are about a 200-yard walk from the boats. On a Western River 6-Day or 7-Day Grand Canyon trip, Deer Creek may be part of the itinerary.
How hard is the hike up to the Patio?
The base of the falls is an easy, flat 200-yard walk that almost everyone makes. The trail up toward the Patio is a different thing: short but steep, on uneven rock, and a personal choice each guest makes on the day. Guides set the pace and the turnaround. If the climb is not for you, the base of the falls is reward enough.
Can you swim at Deer Creek Falls?
Guests typically wade and cool off in the pool at the base of the falls, where you can feel the wind the waterfall pushes off the cliff. Conditions, water level, and guide direction decide how much water play happens on any given stop. Deer Creek is a day stop; trips do not camp at the falls.
Is Deer Creek a sacred site, and can you go into the Narrows?
Deer Creek is sacred to the canyon's Native peoples. To protect significant cultural resources, the National Park Service closes a portion of the inner Deer Creek Narrows, from the Patio down to the base of the falls, to climbing and entry. Guests can still walk the open trail toward the Patio and see the falls and the Narrows from outside the closed section. Western River guides keep groups to what is open and explain why it matters.
Which Western River trips visit Deer Creek Falls?
Deer Creek Falls is a likely stop on the itinerary for Western River's 6-Day and 7-Day Grand Canyon rafting trips, which run the upper two-thirds of the canyon from Lees Ferry to Whitmore Helipad. On the 6-Day itinerary, Deer Creek falls on the fifth river day.
The 3-Day and 4-Day River & Ranch trips run the lower canyon from Whitmore Helipad (mile 188) downstream, so they do not reach Deer Creek at mile 136.9.
Still curious to learn more?
See more common questions or contact us.
Experience Deer Creek Falls on a Western River Guided Trip
Deer Creek sits at mile 136.9, deep in the upper-canyon section, reached on the longer Grand Canyon expeditions that launch at Lees Ferry and run the full upper two-thirds of the canyon.
Six days in the Grand Canyon. Run Crystal Rapid and Lava Falls, hike hidden side canyons, sleep on beaches no road will ever reach, and helicopter out of the canyon.
- Begins: Las Vegas
- Best for: Rapids & Hiking
- Rapids: 60+ Class III-V
- Ages: 12+
Seven days exploring 188 miles of the Grand Canyon. Run famous rapids, hike hidden side canyons, camp beneath the stars, and helicopter out of the canyon.
- Begins: Las Vegas
- Best for: Extended Vacation
- Rapids: 60+ Class III-V
- Ages: 12+
The 3-Day and 4-Day trips launch downstream at Whitmore Wash and do not reach Deer Creek. It is an upper-canyon stop only.
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