[fourteen410]

Every spring, I get an itch to visit the southwest. This year, I decided to make the journey down to Havasu Falls.

Havasu Falls

Havasu Falls is located in northern Arizona, on the Havasupai Reservation. It is close to the Grand Canyon, but it is not part of the National Park. Visiting the falls requires advanced planning, as access is by permit only and day trips are not allowed. Obtaining a permit requires a significant amount of patience and persistence - permit reservations are accepted by phone after Feb 1, but reaching the tribe is difficult. It only took me 30 calls to get through, but it sounds like others had a more difficult experience. We flew down to Vegas on Saturday afternoon and stopped at the local REI for a fuel canister. Then we were off to the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs, AZ, where we would spend the night. This was the closest lodging to the trailhead (1 - 1.5 hours away). We headed out early Sunday morning, reaching the Hualapai Hilltop trailhead around 8:30am in an attempt to beat the forecasted heavy rain. The dark rain clouds loomed above us as we made our descent into the vast canyon below. After dropping about 1500' to the canyon floor, we continued along a wide path for another mile or so.

The scenery was beautiful, but it was disheartening to see so much trash along the trail. Beer cans, Gatorade bottles, buckets, jackets, wheelbarrows, bags, tie downs, wrappers, and even a can of Spam were just some of the items lining the path. As we continued on, the promised rain began to fall - lightly at first, but heavier as we journeyed on. As we continued our trek, the canyon walls became taller, the dirt became redder, and the route became narrower. A few bright green trees popped out among the red rocks. We befriended a raven, his feathers as soaked as our clothes. He followed us closely by foot and by wing for a mile through the canyon. We didn't feed him, so it was odd that he walked so close to us.

After several soggy miles, we reached the junction to Supai, the Havasupai village in the canyon. It is a remote village that it only accessible by foot, horse, or helicopter, and it is the only place in the US where mail is still delivered by mule train. Another mile brought us into the heart of Supai, where we would pick up our permits.

Supai is an impoverished village. A number of houses had smashed or boarded up windows with trash strewn haphazardly all over the property. Many of the horses were miserably skinny and underfed. I had read that the Havasupai were not friendly (outside of the tourist office), but I didn't find that to be the case entirely. I just felt out of place - guilty, almost - walking through the village with my expensive gear. Most of our interaction was limited to an acknowledging head nod. I had read extensively about the Havasupai tribe prior to the trip, so I can understand why they aren't incredibly welcoming to outsiders.

After passing through Supai, we came upon the blue-green waters that the area is so well known for. Yes, the water really is that color! We rounded a corner and entered a wide canyon where the new Navajo Falls and Fifty Foot Falls plunged into the emerald waters below. We crossed a bridge and passed a cemetery before finally coming to the spectacular Havasu Falls. Wow! We were taken away by the beauty.

We descended to the base of the falls and followed the trail to the empty campground. There were only two other parties there - most had cancelled due to the weather. We pitched our tent near the blue-green waters and quickly changed into dry clothing.

After a brief rest/drying period, we headed back out into the rain and down to Mooney Falls. Wow! Mooney was just as stunning as Havasu. I followed the path through the tunnels to the stairs and infamous ladder, but called it a day there, as a slip there would make me a goner.

As the daylight began to fade, we slowly made our way through the downpour back to camp. We filtered water from a lovely spring before firing up the stove for dinner. Soaked to the bone, we spent the rest of the night in the tent, laughing about how crazy we were for spending hundreds of dollars to come spend a cold, wet night in a tent.

When we woke up the next morning, the heavy rains had turned the blue-green water into a chocolate brown color. Knowing that the rains were not going to let up for the next 48 hours, we decided to cut our two night stay short. We knew that a helicopter flew in and out of Supai on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays (this time of year), so we hiked back to Supai and forked over the $95/person chopper fee to catch a lift during a break in the downpours. Considering how wet we were, the money was well spent. We felt bad for the backpackers coming in, as they would not get to see the blue-green water that this place was so special for.

Back at the trailhead, we eagerly jumped into the dry, warm car and headed south to Peach Springs. But there was surprise waiting for us and our 2WD rental car - snow! And a good amount of it. Thankfully a plow had driven through recently, so we were able to make the 60 mile drive back to Peach Springs without incident.

After lunch, we found a room for cheap (Hotwire.com) at a fancy Westin resort in Henderson, NV. When we arrived that evening, we were stinky, dirty, and soggy, so you can imagine the looks on the trophy wives' faces as we walked by Despite the unlucky timing of the weather, we still had a blast and were so fortunate to see the blue-green color of the water before it changed. Such a special place! The next day, we caught an hour of sunshine on some hikes at the always amazing Valley of Fire State Park.

[wildernessed]

Always nice pics to look at when people do that trip. A life long friend of mine use to work in the ER in Kayenta,Az. and we had planned a trip but it never materialized.Very nice !

[ree]

So just one night out there? Is that all you need to pretty much see Havasupia/Mooney? I have been wanting to get out there for ages. Kind of interesting to see the falls brown. I wonder how long after a rain it takes to turn back to that cyan color.... I didn't know about Supai. Interesting shots of that place. Where you worried about getting stuck in a flash flood? Thanks for the tr. I will make it out there someday soon hopefully.

[the Zachster]

Beautiful and interesting photos. Really glad you got to see the pretty water before it turned brown! For some reason I didn't get the itch to go south this year but there are so many amazing things to see down there. I need to put these falls on my list. Thanks for the great report!

[GaliWalker]

Looks spectacular; you've captured it really well. The hike in also looks nice. I've always thought that it wasn't worth the effort to see just those waterfalls, even if they are pretty special, but I'm reevaluating now. I may have to raise the priority on this one. By the way, long exposures of muddy water can lead to some interesting photos. It might not capture the defining feature of this spot (that gorgeous blue water), but I've come to love the effect:

Chocolate swirls

[puzzlr]

I think getting a chance to see the falls in the muddy state is the special thing. On our trip we only got to see the blue green mode so consider yourself lucky to see both.

[fourteen410]

[Billoutwest]

Chocolate swirls

That is really neat. ======= Down at the Colorado there is a spiritual mixing of waters. Not to be religious or something but you can sense its unique and special.

[Hikingqueen]

You girls did good!

[fairweather friend]

Thanks for the photos! I've been watching the weather forecasts in Northern Arizona like a hawk, as I launch from Lee's Ferry on 3/16 for a 23-day private river trip. I knew there had been some rain around 3/1, but a muddy brown Havasu was a shock. Hope things are back to aquamarine by the time we get there... River Day 15, on March 30th. I'm just about ready to collapse from prep work. I think I would rather do my own food for the whole PCT than do food for 11 people for 23 days. I know what my needs and preferences are, but it's a bitch to deal everyone else's!

[Dick B]

Great pictures. My wife and I and another couple did the Supai hike back in the late 90s from the Bend OR area. It was the culmination of a 3 faceted trip. The first stop was Petroglyph Canyon on the China Lake Naval Weapons base in California. Great site if you are into rock art. It almost takes an act of congress (or maybe an executive order) to get there. The second stop was an overnight canoe float down the Black Canyon on the Colorado River below Hoover Dam. Met a nice elder hostel group at our over night stop that shared their dinner with us. The Supai portion was the highlight. We arranged for our gear to be hauled in by a pack string, for a fee of course. All we had to carry was water and our day packs. The gear was at the entrance to the campground when we got there. Weather was great for the 4 days we were there. Apparently the Native Americans had an extensive irrigation system at one time and raised a lot of their own food. A major flood destroyed it and it was never rebuilt. We saw quite an extensive system of ditches but no water. I guess the tourists now are their main means of support. You see all kinds on the trail. We met a young couple going in as we were coming out. He was pushing a baby carriage with a toddler. It looked like he had on street shoes. The trail is mostly a dry wash with lots of sand, so it wasn't like going down a sidewalk. She was in a long dress with a babe in arms. They didn't have day packs or water. She didn't appear to be a happy camper.

[Gabigabs]

One does not often see the unique brown water in that area :-) We spent 2 nights last year. Such a great place to visit.

[spamfoote]

Yup, once again, SW in inopportune weather produces the best trips.

[Daryl]

It looks like rainy weekends are the time to go! When i lived in AZ i had planned to do it twice and both times canceled after hearing very recent horror stories days before we left. Crowds, overbooking, garbage, bathroom mess, theft, violence... I still want to do it some day though.