Hiking in the Grand Canyon of Arizona is truly spectacular and worthy of an addition to ones bucket list. Each year over six million visitors make it to the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon National Park - only 1% actually complete the hike to the bottom. An even smaller percentage of people actually make it to one of the real hidden gems of the park - the cascading waterfalls know as Havasu Waterfalls. What a hike this would turn out to be.
Let me give you some background on this spectacular part of the Grand Canyon. This hiking trail starts on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, just to the west of Grand Canyon National Park. The trail is only 16 miles to the west but a 4 hour drive to get to since there is no direct road. Although Hualapai Canyon is not an official part of Grand Canyon National Park - it is part of the greater geographic area that is considered part of the Grand Canyon. The trail (10 miles/16kms long) takes you 2,400ft down Hualapai Canyon to the village of Supai where you will find the only native band still living down in the Grand Canyon. Except for the initial steep descent to the canyon floor, the fairly moderate trail takes you along a dried up stream bed to where you meet Havasu Creek. The trail then follows the flowing water into the very quiet village of Supai. To show respect for the Havasupai people you are requested not to take photos. Two miles past the village you come to the campground, home sweet home for the next two nights.
Map showing where Havasupai Indian Reservation is in comparison to Grand Canyon National Park.
Havasu Trail - detailed hiking maps.
Havasupai is roughly translated as “The People of the Blue-Green Waters” which refers to the beautiful turquoise color of Havasu Creek. The color of the water is the result of having been stored underground – in limestone caverns or aquifers – for as much as 30,000 years. While underground, the water leaches out minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, from the limestone. These minerals saturate the water and reflect sunlight, making the water a turquoise color. Forebears of today’s Havasupai people began settling along the south rim of the Grand Canyon 800 years ago. During the summer they would farm in the canyon along the perennial stream (Havasu Creek) and in the winter they hunted and gathered wild foods up on the canyon plateau.
Our hike was well organized and very professionally run by Wildland Trekking http://www.wildlandtrekking.com , a company based in Flagstaff, Arizona. The hike was a three day two night camping trip down Havasu Trail to experience the beauty of the Havasu Waterfalls and Canyons.
Hike Down Haualapai Canyon
Fifty Foot Falls
After you pass through the village of Supai, you come to the first of several spectacular water falls. Fifty Foot Falls is the first you see as you descend toward the campground.
Havasu Waterfall
Havasu Falls is the namesake of the area and rightly so! You cannot miss Havasu Falls as the trail turns a corner and descends next to it. Wow, what an amazing view of this beautiful waterfall. Because this waterfall provides good swimming options and is very close to the campground, it is probably the most popular of all the falls.
Mooney Falls
There is quite an interesting history to how Mooney Falls got its name. In 1872, the Grand Canyon was already busy with prospectors dreaming of gold and silver. One such prospector, named Daniel Mooney, was interested in the lands at the base of the waterfall that now bears his name. After failing to find a route down the waterfalls on previous trips, Mooney and his party returned to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in 1882, determined to descend.
Failing to find a way to descend by hiking, Mooney’s plan was to repel down the waterfall using a rope. His plan seemed obviously simple, however he didn’t factor in the sharpness of the rock columns and a few scrapes later, his rope was frayed and he was dangling by thin fibers. His friends tried to pull him up, but the strain only caused the wasted rope to weaken and Mooney fell to his death. The result was this incredible waterfall is named after him.
To reach the bottom of Mooney, you’ll have to descend the chains, ladders, and bolts down a 200-feet tall travertine cliff. This is potentially a very dangerous descent. While it is technically easy to descend, a fall would likely be fatal.
Beaver Falls
This waterfall is the most remote of the Havasu waterfalls. It is 3 miles below Mooney Falls, or 3.5 miles below the campground. So a roundtrip hike to Beaver Falls is 7 miles. The hike is gorgeous but rugged, and the route has you cross the creek several times. A good set of water shoes are very helpful. Beaver Falls is stunning, and the photos will show that. The adventure of hiking to Beaver Falls through the beautiful canyon and the fun we had swimming in the cascading waterfalls, made this one of the highlights of the trip for me.
What an amazing hike the Havasu Trail proved to be. The waterfalls were beautiful and the trail challenging at times. What a great experience to share with friends. Our group and our two guides are shown below.
