This is an awesome spring! The site surrounding the spring was once a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Their project, was to replant forest in the surrounding area that had been logged as a result of the dense Ponderosa Forest found in the region. The CCC, called “Indian Gardens” home in the spring of 1933. Since that time, the town of Kohls Ranch has placed a tap over the spring to bring it back into their subdivisions. The spring itself however, has overflown the restraints of the tap. Now days, the spring is found gushing out over the wall of what could be the construction of a cement retaining wall that the CCC had built. Just two weeks ago, I was meditating near the spring, when I noticed the water change color. It had gone from clear, in a low turbidity zone, to dark muddy waters in a matter of seconds. As I ran over to the spring, I was amazed to see that the spring had made a new birth. This new place where the spring was pouring out had completely bypassed the tapped section, and now was coming out from just beneath the above mentioned cement retaining wall. It was a very cool thing to be witness to, as I had just filled my water there moments before.
Nearest Address
Kohls Ranch
Directions from Nearest Address
Head East out of Payson on highway AZ-260. Travel approximately 15 miles. Look for the “Paleo Site”, which is the turn just before the Indian Gardens site. Make a right onto the unmarked road. (If you have made it to a left hand turn after the “Paleo Site”, you have gone too far. A turn around can get you back in just a few moments time.) The unmarked road is paved initially and maintains for only 100-150 yards, and then turns to gravel. Approximately 10 yards after it has turned to gravel you will come across a gate. The state of Arizona keeps the gate locked as Indian Gardens is used as a pick-up spot for huge water pillows which are used in the event of a fire in the surrounding area. Get out of your car, and cross the small gate. Proceed down the dirt trail roughly 100 yards. As you start to approach a small bridge, the sound of gushing water should be unmistakable. The spring is to the West of the small bridge by roughly 10 yards.
Went there yesterday…was hard to use larger containers, but the most accessible in the area. If you visiting from Phoenix, the spring north of Sedona is a FAR superior choice. We had to walk across a small thruway with a pool of larvae – it could have been pretty bad. No place to bring large glass containers – very risky. The flow was SUPER strong though, the strongest Ive seen. Water came in at 250ppm – Sedona reads 100ppm. And the area was much drier and not quite as magical as that Sedona spring area. Truly memorable on 89A north.
Kind of a dingy place too, they should really take care of such a truly sacred place. I can only imagine how much life that spring supports. Its sad to see it in a decrepit area. I would be TERRIFIED there at night.
WARNING! I went to collect water here today, hauled 18 gallons up the big hill back to my car at the first closed gate, but something told me to call and confirm quality/purity of this water. I contacted John who was listed as the contact for the water company. I asked if the water was just pure overflow of spring water as it is listed here. He said no, there is “some pretreatment” happening before it comes out. When I explained I was looking for fresh spring water I could drink or put through my water filter he said “it’s probably not what you’re looking for”
I’ve gone here 3 times over last year,,,this is on forest service land and is now fenced and has their horses grazing there…. once you find the turn off you park at closed gate and go around it on foot, hike down the hill, climb another gate/fence at bottom then follow to small building and water is indeed coming out of the small house from a pvc pipe. I filled my bottles from the overflow and have drank at least 100 gallons. My daughter and boyfriend drank as well. All was fine, tastes great.
Very easy to get to, however I wouldn’t drink the water from here. They have fenced off the actual area around the Spring. The opening of the Spring is inside of a small brick building that has 6″ wide PVC pipe coming out of it (for overflow?). The small creek is fed from these PVC pipes. Water on ran out the bottom 1″ of pipe, leaving a lot of space for ‘junk’ to grow, therefore leaving me with the impression that the water could be contaminated from the pipes. Horton’s Spring is not far away, although a lot tougher to get to, but the water comes straight from the mountain and tastes wonderful!
Drinking pure spring water is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Our bodies are over 99% water at the molecular level, so water affects every aspect of our biology. Yet, not all water is created equal. Almost all the bottled spring water available is pasteurized for shelf stability, which neutralizes many of the powerful health benefits such as increased hydrogen, healthy probiotics, and crystalline structure. For more about why unprocessed spring water is the best water to drink, read this.
The best way to guarantee you are getting real unprocessed spring water is to collect it yourself. This is a short and simple guide filled with information about how to gather spring water. We will cover how to find a spring, how to collect the water, how to honor the spring, how to store the water properly and other tips.
FindASpring.org is the best resource for locating a spring near you. However, not all springs are on the map. First, check the map to see if there is a spring in your local area. If there is, look at the reviews and comments. Has anyone shared helpful information about flow rate or posted a water test result? Is the spring in a pristine area? Do a bit of research and make sure the spring is safe to drink from. If you have any doubt about the purity, don’t risk it and get a water test, HERE. If you don’t see a spring on the map in your area, there still might be some that aren’t listed yet. First, ask the older generation who have lived in your area a long time if they know. You can also ask people in your community who might already get spring water such as people at a health food store or at a farmers market. Another great option is to view A US forest service map, where many springs have been marked. You can view these maps through the Gaia GPS or All Trails hiking apps on your phone. The map overlay you want is USGS Topo. Not all are easily accessible or ideal for drinking, but some are and it can be a fun adventure to find them. We have found over half a dozen great springs this way.
Once you’ve found your spring, figure out how you are going to gather the water. Is it right on the side of the road and easy to access or do you have to hike to it? We recommend storing spring water in glass instead of plastic to preserve the purity of the water. It is better for the environment, your body, and the water. Even BPA free plastic has toxic chemicals that can leach into water and cause health issues. If you do want to use plastic for safety reasons when filling at the spring, we recommend transferring the water to glass as soon as possible. FindASpring is sponsored by Alive Waters, which offers beautiful reusable glass. They have a 2.5 gallon option, which is a convenient size for carrying that isn’t too heavy. They also sell handles that you can use to transport the jugs even more easily. If you have to hike to access the spring, we recommend putting the water jugs into an extra large backpack to hike the water out with ease. We use Osprey packs that hold 2 jugs each. You can also use a wheelbarrow or even a stroller depending on how easy a walk it is.
Filling 2.5 Gallon Alive Waters Jug
When you get to the spring, remember to first give back before you take. Springs are considered sacred in indigenous cultures around the world for their life giving water and also as a connection to the inner earth. A powerful and simple way to give back is to clean up. Is there any trash that needs to be collected? Could you move any dead leaves or sticks to improve the flow rate? Show up in service. Some other wonderful ways to give is with a moment of expressing verbal gratitude, singing songs to the water, offering the water an ethically sourced crystal, a feather, or some other physical gift. Flowers are a popular and beautiful thing to offer, but please be careful to source organic ones as most flowers from the store are sprayed with pesticides and can be toxic to put near a spring. Also, flowers can attract bugs as they decay, so it can be best to offer them to the flowing water directly or a little downstream from the spring head.
When gathering the water, fill the jug as close to the spring head as possible, never gather downstream. Be very careful as wet glass is extremely slippery. Make sure the lid is securely fastened. When transporting the spring water home, the jugs can sometimes slide around the car. Secure them in place or wrap them with towels or something so they don’t crash into each other.
How you store your spring water is essential. It is not pasteurized like spring water from the store, so it will start growing algae if left in direct sunlight. This is good because it means it’s alive! If the water you drink can’t even support the most basic life forms, how do you think it will support your body? Store your water in a cool, dark place such as a dark corner, pantry or closet. The fridge is ideal if you have room. Some people prefer to filter their water through a Berkey filter before drinking, but if the spring is pure, it’s not necessary. We drink our spring water completely unfiltered.
How long the water stays good for depends on how cold a temperature it’s stored at. Spring water is best fresh. We personally do not prefer to drink spring water past 2 weeks old. However, we know other people that will drink it at a month old. It’s great to get in a rhythm where you know how long the water lasts you and put your collection day on the calendar in advance.
I believe that water is calling us to reconnect with her in the deepest way, to gather our own water. Just like our ancestors did. Our ancestors didn’t have fancy water machines. They also didn’t create villages or settle where there was no water. Water was revered as the center of the community and the nodal point around which life could spiral out and take root.
Here’s to restoring the sacred connection with the waters of life.
Written by Dakota Chanel. Water Priestess and Ceremonialist. DakotaChanel.com
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Indian Gardens Spring (CCC campsite), Kohls Ranch, AZ
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Went there yesterday…was hard to use larger containers, but the most accessible in the area.
If you visiting from Phoenix, the spring north of Sedona is a FAR superior choice. We had to walk across a small thruway with a pool of larvae – it could have been pretty bad. No place to bring large glass containers – very risky. The flow was SUPER strong though, the strongest Ive seen. Water came in at 250ppm – Sedona reads 100ppm. And the area was much drier and not quite as magical as that Sedona spring area. Truly memorable on 89A north.
Kind of a dingy place too, they should really take care of such a truly sacred place. I can only imagine how much life that spring supports. Its sad to see it in a decrepit area. I would be TERRIFIED there at night.
WARNING! I went to collect water here today, hauled 18 gallons up the big hill back to my car at the first closed gate, but something told me to call and confirm quality/purity of this water. I contacted John who was listed as the contact for the water company. I asked if the water was just pure overflow of spring water as it is listed here. He said no, there is “some pretreatment” happening before it comes out. When I explained I was looking for fresh spring water I could drink or put through my water filter he said “it’s probably not what you’re looking for”
I’ve gone here 3 times over last year,,,this is on forest service land and is now fenced and has their horses grazing there…. once you find the turn off you park at closed gate and go around it on foot, hike down the hill, climb another gate/fence at bottom then follow to small building and water is indeed coming out of the small house from a pvc pipe. I filled my bottles from the overflow and have drank at least 100 gallons. My daughter and boyfriend drank as well. All was fine, tastes great.
Very easy to get to, however I wouldn’t drink the water from here. They have fenced off the actual area around the Spring. The opening of the Spring is inside of a small brick building that has 6″ wide PVC pipe coming out of it (for overflow?). The small creek is fed from these PVC pipes. Water on ran out the bottom 1″ of pipe, leaving a lot of space for ‘junk’ to grow, therefore leaving me with the impression that the water could be contaminated from the pipes. Horton’s Spring is not far away, although a lot tougher to get to, but the water comes straight from the mountain and tastes wonderful!