Havasu Falls

I finally got a chance to hike to a place I’ve been meaning to get to for the past twenty years-Havasu Falls in Arizona. In recent years, the falls has become an incredibly popular destination, and as a result, requires winning a permit through an on-line lottery application. The Havasupai Indian tribe that runs the lottery has also raised the price of the stay significantly in the past decade to $455 for the three-night stay (by comparison, the same three-night trip would have cost $94 in 2014). But the hassle and cost is worth it. Havasu Falls is one of the most incredible waterfalls I’ve seen, looking completely out of place in the desert canyon it’s located in.

The trek is epic requiring a 10 mile hike in near the Grand Canyon. The Hulapai Hilltop trail starts atop a large canyon rim. You lose 2400 feet in elevation, much of it over the first mile (yes, your calves are going to feel it). The next part of the hike meanders along a wash through a deep canyon. The canyon is very pretty in parts as the sandstone walls are adorned in desert varnish. At about mile 6, the trail flattens out as the canyon opens up. Shortly, you will cross a bridge over the creek. The environment becomes more riparian and there are many cottonwoods along this stretch. Soon, the village of Supai comes into view. This is part of the Indian reservation so there are strict rules against photography in this part of the hike. The village contains a couple of places to stop for fry bread. I recommend the sweet variety coated in powdered sugar and honey (mine also came with fresh strawberries). Once through the village the trail continues to descend toward Havasu Falls. About a mile from the campground, you will come to Navajo Falls. The creek is very wide here making for a quite pretty waterfall. After rounding a curve (fenced off due to erosion), the trail finally makes it way to the top of Havasu Falls. The noise is thunderous as the creek plummets 70 feet below. Given the presence of calcium limestone, the pool is an iridescent turquoise color. You feel like you’ve been transported to the Caribbean.

After a dip in the falls, it’s time to find a camp site. There are a number of them scattered throughout the mile-long course of the campground. There are many several sites along the creek itself as well as a number back in the cottonwoods. Amazingly, each site has its own picnic table. The campground ends at Mooney Falls another beautiful waterfall. The descent to Mooney is not for the faint of heart, however. You have to take two sets of rocks stairs through the limestone cliff and then climb backwards down rock stairs cut into the sheer face of the cliff. It’s about 100 foot drop over the edge. Most people are able to do this part of the trail but given my fear of heights, I passed. The trail continues about 2 more miles to a set of large limestone pour overs known as Beaver Falls that apparently make great swimming holes.

The highlight of the trek of course is Havasu Falls. There are a number of deep pools below the falls that make for great swimming. In the afternoon, this area gets quite crowded. There are a lot of people that have made the trek with you. This is probably due to the fact that hikers can reserve pack horses (for $400) to carry their gear. While this opens the trail to a greater number of people, it does make it seem a little less natural and unspoiled at times. Thankfully, the large campground seems to support the large number of people. I never felt like things were overcrowded.

After dinner, stargazing is the thing to do here. Be aware, it is too hot in summer to put the rain fly on. The views of the stars was amazing. You are 90 miles from Seligman and 135 miles from Kingman. There is no hint of light pollution here. Given the new moon, the view of the Milky Way way incredible once the clouds cleared.

While the weather is nice in June, I have to say the heat was intense. It was 104 in the campground and 113 in Las Vegas the day after my trip. But curling up near Havasu Falls to read a book is a great way to pass the afternoon. Due to the heat, I woke up at 4 am to hike out. The 10 mile return hike is almost all up hill and took me 6.5 hours to complete. It was 94 degrees at the Hilltop summit parking lot when I returned to the car at 11 am. Uggh. Bring lots of water for this adventure. You will need it.

To reach the trailhead, you have to drive 135 miles from Kingman Arizona or 90 miles from Seligman. The closest motel is the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn where you must check in. It is about 5 miles east of the turn for Indian Route 18 located on Route 66. You can also stay in Selgiman about another 25 miles east. The reward here is Lilo’s Diner, a quality restaurant. Flights from either Las Vegas or Phoenix are the closest major airports located 3.5 to 4 hours away.