Phoenix has a waterfall, and it still makes electricity. At Arizona Falls, beside G.R. Herberger Park at 56th Street and Indian School Road, the Arizona Canal drops 20 feet in a rush of white water — a cool, surprising sight in the heart of the desert city.
Cross the pedestrian footbridge from the south and you reach a viewing platform set right between curtains of flowing water. Big boulders make natural seats, shade structures keep the spot comfortable all year long, and historic gears and hydroelectric equipment remind visitors that this pretty place works for a living.
People have gathered here for a very long time. In the late 1800s, Phoenicians picnicked beside the cool water, and in 1902 the falls became the site of Phoenix’s first hydroelectric power plant. SRP rebuilt the plant in 1911, and it delivered power from 1913 until 1950. Restored and reopened to the public in 2003, it now generates up to 750 kilowatts of clean, renewable electricity — enough for about 150 homes.
Art is part of the visit, too: “WaterWorks at Arizona Falls,” designed by Lajos Héder and Mags Harries for the Phoenix Art Commission, turns the landmark’s history into an experience. Walkers, joggers and cyclists arrive on the canal paths — part of more than 80 miles of paved, ADA-compliant trails developed by Valley cities with SRP — making Arizona Falls an easy, refreshing stop on any Phoenix day out.
Photo: Bobjgalindo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
