The title of this post sums up my feelings of an amazing four day trip to Havasupai.
It was challenging, but it was SO worth the effort to round the corner to what seems like paradise dropped right in the bottom of the desert.
On Sunday we left for Las Vegas on our way to the Grand Canyon to visit Havasupai. We met our friends Brittany and Spencer in the Sacramento airport and caught our short flight together. Upon arriving, we took the bus to the car rental garage and got our Chevy Impala aka “gas guzzler”. First we stopped off at Bass Pro Shop and Target to get a few last minute supplies (that we didn't want to fly with) and then went to Brio for Mother’s Day lunch. It is my very favorite restaurant and of course did not disappoint.
Spencer and Brittany had lived in Vegas and knew the area so they took us for a quick visit to the
beautiful Red Rock Canyon. We hiked around for a few minutes and took some
pictures. We then went to their friend's home for dinner. Ray
and Diana were so excited to see Spencer and Brittany and gracious to have
two tag-a-longs join them in their home for dinner. It was a surprise for Diana
and she squealed when we walked in the door. Ray made a delicious steak dinner for
us and we had a great time hanging out and getting to know these sweet friends of the Holts.
On Sunday we left for Las Vegas on our way to the Grand Canyon to visit Havasupai. We met our friends Brittany and Spencer in the Sacramento airport and caught our short flight together. Upon arriving, we took the bus to the car rental garage and got our Chevy Impala aka “gas guzzler”. First we stopped off at Bass Pro Shop and Target to get a few last minute supplies (that we didn't want to fly with) and then went to Brio for Mother’s Day lunch. It is my very favorite restaurant and of course did not disappoint.
After dinner, we borrowed two tents and a few other things (that were too bulky to fly with) and got our stuff packed up. We wanted to leave by 4 am to arrive at the hilltop by 8 am so we
could drop our stuff off and get on our way while it is still somewhat cool.
Monday morning, we woke up at 3am so we could get dressed, stuff ready, and
out the door. Tyler took a spill hauling packs down the sidewalk and
missed a step and rolled his ankle. He was laughing though as the packs were
around his arm and on top of him and he couldn’t get up. Thank goodness Spencer found him and no harm done. 
We had an uneventful drive to
the grand canyon (Brittany and Tyler slept the whole way) and arrived
shortly after 8:00. We got our packs out, marked them and took them over to the
shack where the mule drop off is. We were a little over the 150 lbs weight limit (thanks Brittany), but
it turned out to not be a big deal. It was amazing to see what the mules hauled
down including coolers, suitcases, backpacks, etc. It was four packs to a mule,
so we only needed one mule. Seriously, so worth the money!
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| Spencer and Tyler getting our stuff all labeled. |
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| Stuff dropped and ready to begin our hike!! So excited! |
We then began our decent down the canyon around 9am. The
initial decent is steep for the first mile and a half or so, but then levels out
with a slight decline most of the way to the town. It’s a long walk with a lot
of loose rocks, so it’s easy to roll ankles for some (Tyler), but otherwise an
easy hike down. We stopped around noon and had a nice lunch on a huge rock on
the trail in the shade. The canyon is absolutely beautiful and was amazing to see all the
red-rock mountains, cliffs, and topography.
Periodically we would see mules running up the mountain.
Sometimes they would have riders, but most often just dogs nipping at their feet.
Beautiful rock formations around every bend.
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| The first mile is the steepest, lots of switchbacks. |
Sometimes they would have riders, but most often just dogs nipping at their feet.
It was heartbreaking and a little disturbing entering the Supai Village as it is dirty and run down. The Havasu Indians don’t take much pride in their homes or belongings and
it really showed. We stopped at the store for an ice cream treat and used their the bathroom outhouse.
Then we picked up our camping reservation tag here at this office.
We found the Mormon church for next time, if we are here on a Sunday.
Do you see that tiny helicopter (bottom corner, about 3/4 of the way to the right)?
Yes, you can ride that down or up. Not me, I would rather hike any day!
We then began our final 2 miles down to the
campground. We first passed the New Navajo falls, about 1.25 miles from the village. Upper Navajo Falls came into being in 2008 when the flood that year
moved massive amounts of rock and mud gouging out a deep bed. The old Navajo Falls was bypassed in the process leaving it dry.
And looking back at it:
We then continued further
and came around the corner to....
what appeared to be paradise, Havasu waterfall.
Absolutely spectacular!
It is incredible there is so much water in this otherwise arid, dry canyon.
We put our feet in the beautiful blue water and took some pictures.
Then we hiked down
to find a camping spot.
We wanted to be somewhere close to the river, but also up against the canyon wall do get out of the wind, yet also be close to the water spring. We finally chose a spot and dropped off our stuff. We packed swimsuits so we changed and walked up to the Havasu falls while we waited for our packs to arrive at 3:00pm. We swam and played in the water. It was a little cool at 70 degrees, but it was so beautiful and fun to swim in. We did that for a while then we walked to the mule coral and got our stuff. They have wheelbarrows so you can haul your stuff down to your campsite.
Then we picked up our camping reservation tag here at this office.
Yes, you can ride that down or up. Not me, I would rather hike any day!
Absolutely spectacular!
It is incredible there is so much water in this otherwise arid, dry canyon.
We put our feet in the beautiful blue water and took some pictures.
We wanted to be somewhere close to the river, but also up against the canyon wall do get out of the wind, yet also be close to the water spring. We finally chose a spot and dropped off our stuff. We packed swimsuits so we changed and walked up to the Havasu falls while we waited for our packs to arrive at 3:00pm. We swam and played in the water. It was a little cool at 70 degrees, but it was so beautiful and fun to swim in. We did that for a while then we walked to the mule coral and got our stuff. They have wheelbarrows so you can haul your stuff down to your campsite.
We set
up our tents and starting making some of the Moutainhouse food we brought. This
was a great way to do food since it’s freeze dried, cooks fast, and is pretty
good for how convenient it is.
After dinner, we stayed up talking and hanging out. We
retired around 9:00 tired from a long day of driving and hiking, but we had a
lot of fun.
The next morning Tyler and I got up early to hike the two miles back to the Lodge. After seeing it and the distance to the falls we had decided to keep our campsite and not stay at the lodge like we had originally planned. Although I wasn't happy about the distance, it was well worth it because I got to see the Havasu Falls in the early morning sun! And it was gorgeous!!
When we got to the lodge we noticed a book sitting on the counter. Tyler looked more closely at it and realize it was our "Exploring Havasupai" book which much have fallen out of a bag when our bags were on the mules. How crazy that we found it! We got our reservation cancelled and then returned from the lodge. We hiked back to the campground and learned that Brittany was not feeling well (as in down-for-the-count and wasn't going anywhere that day). Spencer and Tyler gave her a Priesthood blessing which was a sweet experience as she barely had the energy to sit forward and sit up long enough to receive it. Spencer decided to still come along with us and hike to Mooney and Beaver Falls.
A little less than a mile down from the campground is the decent to Mooney Falls where you have to climb through the travertine rock tunnels, down chains, and steep ladders to reach the bottom. The views here of the waterfall are spectacular as the falls are 195 feet high!
One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was hiking down the river to
Beaver Falls. This was a lot of fun as it was pretty shallow water, but
there were still small waterfalls we had to navigate around or jump off
of to reach Beaver Falls. Rachelle did a great job navigating the river
as she held her camera around her neck for much of it, capturing pictures
as we hiked and swam down.
Once we reached Beaver Falls, we hiked up to an overlook point and had
lunch. After, we hiked to each of the falls and played in the water
which was a lot of fun! Beaver Falls is spectacular as there are several
different layers of falls which are beautiful and a lot of fun.
We were there for several hours and then decided to hike back to Mooney
Falls, up the ladders and chain rails, through the travertine tunnels
and then back to camp. Brittany still wasn't feeling well, but seemed to
have gotten a lot of rest today. We enjoyed our dinner and even had dessert, chocolate pudding in graham cracker crusts.
That evening we went back up to Havasu Falls and spent some time swimming and jumping into the in the pools which was a lot of fun!
We met many people from all over the world including this British character who had hiked in and was quite ill prepared with little food and water. He was a funny guy and grateful for the Mountain House we shared with them. Today was a great day!
Today was day four and it was a big Miracle as Brittany was feeling better and ready to hit the trail with us today. We enjoyed Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls so much we decided to go back to both today and let Brittany experience them
Instead of forging the river though, we took the trail down both ways which was a lot faster, but not as fun or as scenic as forging the river. We wanted to keep it doable for Brittany. Regardless, we still had a lot of fun at Beaver Falls. One of the memories we all had was when we were at the bottom of the falls in some rapids and Tyler and Spencer standing at the top of a high rock area contemplating jumping in or not. Somehow, after much chiding and discouragement from the ladies, both relented and didn't jump into the water.
Most of the day we spent hiking and swimming in the water which was a blast!
We came back had dinner, enjoyed talking and laughing, and climbed into our tents.
It was a fantastic day:)
We awoke early to pack up our things and get our backpacks to the mules by 6:45.
We then started our decent back to the hilltop which was 10 miles away. Even though it was a long hike, it is gorgeous to hike in the red rock of the Grand Canyon.
Spencer was amazing, and was just heads down all the way to the top. We reached hilltop around 10:00 which was really good time as it took a little over 3 hours. Our bags followed behind us shortly thereafter. We did it. In total 34 miles! It was awesome, can't wait to do it again.
We then packed up and headed back to Las Vegas which was about a four hour drive. Once we reached Las Vegas we made a quick stop at Ray and Diana's for a hot shower and to return our borrowed gear before returning the rental car and getting to the airport. There was a plane leaving before ours which we tried to get on, but they wouldn't let us. When we got to our gate, we learned our flight was going to be significantly delayed so we made a mad dash down to the other earlier flight and were the last four to be added to that flight. Phew... that was nice!
We made it home safely and had a great time. Spencer and Brittany were amazing travel partners and we really enjoyed traveling with them.
Some tips and things we learned:
Trailhead: It is called Hualapai Hilltop. You can find directions by googling that location. There is no water, but there are restrooms. Some people sleep in their car and get an early morning start. Have some cash for when you finish your hike because there will be food and drink stands set up by the locals. Possibly the best Gatorade of my life was enjoyed here.
Permits: The permits are $35 per person and reservations are open for the next year at the end of January or beginning of February. They can be found here. After all of our reading we found that late April or May seems to be the best time to go for the best weather and least crowds.
Mules: For sure the best money we spent. It made the experience much more enjoyable. Use duct tape and a black sharpie to label things as a paper airline name tag won't last. Also, don't send your favorite bag ever on the mule. It could get damaged and for sure will get dusty and dirty on the way. It's also a great idea to have bungee cords to tighten up bags.
Lodging: Camping is $17 a night and really is the most beautiful setting ever:) The camping area has Havasu Falls on one end and Mooney on the other, with a creek running down the middle. The lodge is in Supai Village and originally we had planned to stay the second night in the lodge. However, it is too far from the waterfalls (2 miles) and where you want to spend your time. Lodge accommodations include two queen beds, private bath, and a/c. Everything we read said don't expect much. So grateful we were able to cancel that reservation, get our money back, and camp an additional night.
Food: There is a small store and cafe in the village. You can buy almost anything that you would need, although expect to pay for it. We brought oatmeal (with craisins, brown sugar and pecans) for breakfast, peanut butter sandwich’s, granola bars, Gatorade packets, freeze dried meals for dinner, trail mix, jerky and dried fruit.
Water: the BEST water comes right out of a natural spring in the side of the mountain. Bring something to transport it back to your campsite.
Camping Bathrooms: Seriously the cleanest camping bathroom I've ever seen or smelt. I can't say the same for the ones in the village.
Hiking to Beaver Falls: Once you are at the camp, you will for sure want to hike down to Beaver Falls you have two options. 1) A trail that stays on high ground and has few views of the creek but will get you to the falls quickly. 2) Head straight up the river from Mooney Falls. You will enjoy dozens of mini water falls along the way that are perfect for jumping off . We did this route and it was a blast. I'm sure we burned a few extra calories and I definitely risked losing my camera in the water a few times, but it was awesome and totally part of the experience. The nice thing is that you can easily access the trail if you need it. Note: We wore hiking pants that could button up to shorts or capris. When we took the trail for some of it (looked too deep to take my camera, we would unbutton our hiking pants to protect our legs from the grasses). Also wear water shoes that are very comfortable. My friend suggests wearing socks with your water shoes to help avoid blisters.
Our packing list:
For the group: paper towels, waterproof matches, chairs, ponchos, cash, tarp, tent, first aid kit (with mole skin), wet wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, trash bags, eating dishes, dish soap, card games, clothes line, rope, food, solar charger and a pocket rocket stove.
Individually on our backs: water, food (including trail mix, beef jerky, dried fruit, granola bars, and a lunch), camera, chap-stick, sunscreen, lotion, hairbands, mirror, sunglasses, hat, chafing cream, water shoes, wipes, shampoo, swimsuit and small camping style towel. We had hiking shoes (not tennis shoes), wool hiking socks and a light jacket on.
In our bags that we put on the mule: sleeping pad, sleeping bag, travel size pillow, flashlight, head lamp, and camping light, pajamas, jacket, extra socks, and hiking clothes for 3 days. We also had toiletries including soap, lotion, bug spray, tampons, ibuprofen, toothbrush and toothpaste.
More info here:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/havasupai.htm
A little less than a mile down from the campground is the decent to Mooney Falls where you have to climb through the travertine rock tunnels, down chains, and steep ladders to reach the bottom. The views here of the waterfall are spectacular as the falls are 195 feet high!
Most of the day we spent hiking and swimming in the water which was a blast!
It was a fantastic day:)
We then packed up and headed back to Las Vegas which was about a four hour drive. Once we reached Las Vegas we made a quick stop at Ray and Diana's for a hot shower and to return our borrowed gear before returning the rental car and getting to the airport. There was a plane leaving before ours which we tried to get on, but they wouldn't let us. When we got to our gate, we learned our flight was going to be significantly delayed so we made a mad dash down to the other earlier flight and were the last four to be added to that flight. Phew... that was nice!
We made it home safely and had a great time. Spencer and Brittany were amazing travel partners and we really enjoyed traveling with them.
Some tips and things we learned:
Trailhead: It is called Hualapai Hilltop. You can find directions by googling that location. There is no water, but there are restrooms. Some people sleep in their car and get an early morning start. Have some cash for when you finish your hike because there will be food and drink stands set up by the locals. Possibly the best Gatorade of my life was enjoyed here.
Permits: The permits are $35 per person and reservations are open for the next year at the end of January or beginning of February. They can be found here. After all of our reading we found that late April or May seems to be the best time to go for the best weather and least crowds.
Mules: For sure the best money we spent. It made the experience much more enjoyable. Use duct tape and a black sharpie to label things as a paper airline name tag won't last. Also, don't send your favorite bag ever on the mule. It could get damaged and for sure will get dusty and dirty on the way. It's also a great idea to have bungee cords to tighten up bags.
Lodging: Camping is $17 a night and really is the most beautiful setting ever:) The camping area has Havasu Falls on one end and Mooney on the other, with a creek running down the middle. The lodge is in Supai Village and originally we had planned to stay the second night in the lodge. However, it is too far from the waterfalls (2 miles) and where you want to spend your time. Lodge accommodations include two queen beds, private bath, and a/c. Everything we read said don't expect much. So grateful we were able to cancel that reservation, get our money back, and camp an additional night.
Food: There is a small store and cafe in the village. You can buy almost anything that you would need, although expect to pay for it. We brought oatmeal (with craisins, brown sugar and pecans) for breakfast, peanut butter sandwich’s, granola bars, Gatorade packets, freeze dried meals for dinner, trail mix, jerky and dried fruit.
Water: the BEST water comes right out of a natural spring in the side of the mountain. Bring something to transport it back to your campsite.
Camping Bathrooms: Seriously the cleanest camping bathroom I've ever seen or smelt. I can't say the same for the ones in the village.
Hiking to Beaver Falls: Once you are at the camp, you will for sure want to hike down to Beaver Falls you have two options. 1) A trail that stays on high ground and has few views of the creek but will get you to the falls quickly. 2) Head straight up the river from Mooney Falls. You will enjoy dozens of mini water falls along the way that are perfect for jumping off . We did this route and it was a blast. I'm sure we burned a few extra calories and I definitely risked losing my camera in the water a few times, but it was awesome and totally part of the experience. The nice thing is that you can easily access the trail if you need it. Note: We wore hiking pants that could button up to shorts or capris. When we took the trail for some of it (looked too deep to take my camera, we would unbutton our hiking pants to protect our legs from the grasses). Also wear water shoes that are very comfortable. My friend suggests wearing socks with your water shoes to help avoid blisters.
Our packing list:
For the group: paper towels, waterproof matches, chairs, ponchos, cash, tarp, tent, first aid kit (with mole skin), wet wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, trash bags, eating dishes, dish soap, card games, clothes line, rope, food, solar charger and a pocket rocket stove.
Individually on our backs: water, food (including trail mix, beef jerky, dried fruit, granola bars, and a lunch), camera, chap-stick, sunscreen, lotion, hairbands, mirror, sunglasses, hat, chafing cream, water shoes, wipes, shampoo, swimsuit and small camping style towel. We had hiking shoes (not tennis shoes), wool hiking socks and a light jacket on.
In our bags that we put on the mule: sleeping pad, sleeping bag, travel size pillow, flashlight, head lamp, and camping light, pajamas, jacket, extra socks, and hiking clothes for 3 days. We also had toiletries including soap, lotion, bug spray, tampons, ibuprofen, toothbrush and toothpaste.
More info here:
https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/havasupai.htm
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