Flooding Leaves Dozens Stranded in Oak Creek Canyon
Recent flooding in Oak Creek Canyon has left approximately 65 campers and camp hosts stranded at Cave Springs Campground. The surge in water levels, coupled with debris, has rendered the creek impassable for vehicles since Sunday.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is actively communicating with those affected. According to spokesperson Jon Paxton, deputies have maintained visual contact with the campers. “We were able to see them across the way. They seem in good spirits; they were coming down, waving at us,” he noted. “Everybody’s fine right now, and they’ve been very patient and waiting for the water to go down.”
The sheriff’s office is collaborating with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Forest Service to address the situation. On Tuesday, a DPS helicopter delivered two days’ worth of food to the group as a precaution, though Paxton reassured that they are adequately supplied.
Alongside the helicopter delivery, a deputy and a member of the Coconino County Search and Rescue team engaged with the campers to assess their condition. Paxton remarked, “It’s just rare that something like this happens. You’ll see that water come up due to rain and go over those low-water crosses, but generally, it’s just a couple of hours. You’ve just got to wait for that water to go down. It’s pretty rare — I’ve probably seen it twice where it’s been sustained for this amount of time.”
Authorities anticipate that the water levels will recede by Wednesday afternoon. Once conditions improve, U.S. Forest Service crews will proceed to clear the crossings of debris such as boulders, logs, and stumps that the floodwaters have deposited.
The National Weather Service has reported that nearly 4.5 inches of rain have drenched parts of the Oak Creek watershed since Saturday. The creek reached a peak flow exceeding 2,500 cubic feet per second on Tuesday morning, which is approximately five times its usual rate.
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