Granite Creek is a tributary of the
Verde River
The Verde River (Yavapai: Haka'he:la) is a major tributary of the Salt River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is about long and carries a mean flow of at its mouth. It is one of the largest perennial streams in Arizona.
Description
The ri ...
in the U.S. state of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
.
It flows generally north-northeast from the
Bradshaw Mountains
The Bradshaw Mountains ( yuf-x-yav, Wi:kañacha, "rough, black range of rocks") are a mountain range in central Arizona, United States, named for brothers Isaac and William D. Bradshaw after their deaths, having been formerly known in English as ...
of west-central Arizona through the city of
Prescott and the
Granite Dells
The Granite Dells is a geological feature north of Prescott, Arizona. The Dells consist of exposed bedrock and large boulders of granite that have eroded into an unusual lumpy, rippled appearance. Watson Lake (Arizona), Watson Lake and Willow ...
to meet the river at the north end of the
Little Chino Valley
Lonesome Valley is a 23-mile (37 km) long valley located in central-north Yavapai County, Arizona; the valley is an extension southeastwards from Chino Valley (Arizona), the location of the Big Chino Wash, which becomes the Verde River at ...
east of Sullivan Lake.
Course
Granite Creek begins in the
Prescott National Forest
The Prescott National Forest is a 1.25 million-acre (510,000 ha) United States National Forest located in north central Arizona in the vicinity of Prescott. The forest is located in the mountains southwest of Flagstaff and north of Phoenix in ...
as an intermittent stream in the Bradshaw Mountains of west-central Arizona. It flows briefly southeast, then curves generally north, passing under
Arizona State Route 89
State Route 89 (SR 89) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is part of the former route of U.S. Route 89 (US 89) throughout the state.
Route description
The southern terminus of SR 89 is located at an intersectio ...
, which then runs along its left. As the creek nears White Spar Campground, Schoolhouse Gulch enters from the right. Below the campground, Granite Creek leaves the national forest, then receives Bannon Creek from the right and Manzanita Creek from the left. As it enters the city of Prescott, Granite Creek passes under Route 89 and receives Aspen Creek from the left.
Miller Creek enters from the left near north side of Prescott, as Granite Creek flows to the northeast, passing through the
Yavapai-Prescott Indian Reservation and under Arizona State Route 89 again. Slaughterhouse Gulch enters from the right as the stream continues northeast to
Watson Lake. Downstream of the lake, Granite Creek passes through Granite Dells and under
Arizona State Route 89A. Willow Creek enters from the left. From here the creek meanders north-northeast through Little Chino Valley past
Prescott Municipal Airport, which is on the left. Bottleneck Wash enters from the left, and the creek flows by the town of
Chino Valley, also on the left. Granite Creek enters the Verde River between Sullivan Lake and Muldoon Canyon.
Watershed
The Granite Creek watershed is bordered on the west by the
Bill Williams watershed on the southwest, the
Hassayampa watershed on the south, and the
Agua Fria watershed on the southeast. Elevations within the watershed vary from on
Mount Union to at the
mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...
.
See also
*
List of rivers of Arizona
List of rivers in Arizona (U.S. state), sorted by name.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name.
Colorado River
*Colorado River—(downstream-to-upstr ...
References
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Rivers of Yavapai County, Arizona
Rivers of Arizona