87 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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draft: true
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pinned: false
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hidden: false
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title: "Lower Eagle Creek"
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subtitle: "Hot Springs, Waterfalls, Caves, & More in Morenci, Arizona"
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feathericon: ""
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author: Bug
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started: 2026-03-12T15:00:00-07:00
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date: TBD
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lastmod: 2026-04-11T12:00:00-07:00
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toc: true
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audio: false
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images:
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tags:
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- tourism
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series:
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- hot springs
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categories:
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- guides
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aliases:
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- /posts/guides/tourism/lower-eagle-creek
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- /lower-eagle-creek
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---
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TBD - Video 1
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## At a Glance
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- Lesser known hot springs in an infrequented region of Arizona.
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- Beautiful canyon with riparian flora all along the meandering creek.
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- Camping can be difficult to access and noisy, especially on weekends.
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## Summary
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This was one of the most beautiful canyons I have ever explored. There's good hiking, unique hot springs, and likely climbing as I did some "bouldering" in some areas just for fun.
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The industrial quality of the initial creek area is slightly off-putting, expecially with the machinery noise, and the amount of dogs was slightly alarming, but they posed no danger and none of it was a concern once I made my way further down the road.
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I definitely plan to visit again, especially when spending time in eastern New Mexico chasing other hot springs.
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## Description
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### Pools
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There are 3 major pools that I noticed on my visit.
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#### Outside
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In a beautiful wooded setting between cliffs sitting next to a stream, this is the only pool that I did not get in. Upon inspection the muddy bottom mixed into the water a bit too much to justify giving myself a mud bath. It also felt hotter than my preferences. Its surroundings definitely give it appeal though!
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#### Caves
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##### Mine Shaft
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TBD - Video 2
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I spent the most time in this spacious pool. The water is warm towards the front and warmer near the back, if ye dare enter the darkness! Or bring a head lamp and explore. I'd guess the tunnel goes back about 100ft, and then turns left and ends abruptly, or at least that's how it seems.
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Shining a light around the bottom of the water reveals that the tunnel actually starts heading down, and there are stairs then going both back towards the entrance as well as further back. The water is a very comfortable temperature, someone with scuba gear may be able to have fun exploring the water-filled caverns below!
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##### Frog Cave
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The best temperature for me was found in this pool. Unfortunately this is the smallest and most vertically challenged soaking area. Wearing my hair in a bun proved challenging and caused my sitting position to be a bit uncomfortable. The sound of the trickling water and the frog who'd come visit occasionally continued bringing me back. Shorter humans or those without bulky hair would likely enjoy the experience in here much more than I. The view out the cave is absolutely incredible, as demonstrated at the end of the first video.
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### Caveats
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- Pump station is loud if choosing to camp before any water crossings.
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- Lots of dog noise from nearby properties, day and night, echoing though the campgrounds.
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- Driving through the creek can be deep in some spots, but high clearance vehicles should be fine.
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### Recommendations
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- Drive as close as you can to the hot springs.
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- I saw an unlifted Tacoma and 4Runner make it there no problem.
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- I took my van to the first water crossing after the large camping area. After that I did not want to risk anymore since my runner boards hang low. (TBD, -TBD)
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## Reception
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- AT&T worked great and had LTE.
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- T-Mobile had cell reception but no LTE/data.
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- Verizon: unknown.
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---
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[blog.hyperling.com/lower-eagle-creek](/lower-eagle-creek)
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