Updated July 2026
Pacheta Falls
Pacheta Falls is a remote roughly 130-foot waterfall on Pacheta Creek in the White Mountains on White Mountain Apache Tribal land. Access requires a tribal recreation permit, rough unmaintained roads, and a roughly 1.25-mile one-way hike down to an overlook.
Before you go
Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check White Mountain Apache Tribe (Fort Apache Reservation) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pacheta Falls drops about 130 feet. That makes it the 142nd-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 79% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
The Pacheta Falls overlook trail reaches it about 2.5 miles (out-and-back), rated moderate. The nearest town is Whiteriver. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with White Mountain Apache Tribe (Fort Apache Reservation) for closures and current conditions.
Late spring through early summer. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More Arizona waterfalls
- Beaver Falls · 40 ft
- Bog Springs Waterfall
- Cibecue Falls · 30 ft
- Deer Creek Falls · 100 ft
- Ellison Creek Cascades
- Fossil Creek Falls · 25 ft
- Grand Falls (Chocolate Falls) · 185 ft
- Havasu Falls · 100 ft
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