"The Hassayampa River Preserve consists of approximately 770 acres along the Hassayampa River, just south of Wickenburg, AZ. The Hassayampa River is one of the few undammed rivers in Arizona which flows above ground creating an oasis in the Sonoran Desert.

The river starts at Groom Creek in the Bradshaw Mountains near Prescott. Groom Creek is a typical mountain stream, plunging over rocks and bordered by tall trees typical of higher elevations. When the water reaches the valley floor, it disappears under up to a thousand feet of sand and gravel that has been eroded, over millennia, off the mountains.

To its convergence with the Gila River, the river is almost entirely underground. But for five miles at the preserve, the granite bedrock domes up, forcing the water to the surface, where it flows year round. This geological fact led to its naming, Hassayampa, which can be loosely translated from the Yavapai as the upside-down river." - Maricopa County Parks and Recreation

Entrance Fee: $5.00
Meetup Location: Main Parking Lot