It was on our … well, 75% on my bucket list, to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. When we stayed a few nights in Sedona last Fall, we saw it from the southern rim as well as from above in a helicopter, so we wanted to take it even further and experience it from the bottom. We wondered what a good destination would be other than just trek down, touch the bottom, then hike back up. One day, Lori was scrolling through Pinterest and stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall called Havasu Falls. She pointed this to me and said she knew where we were going next!
Havasu Falls is in the reservation of the Havasupai tribe. We had to walk through their village, which is actually in the Havasu Canyon, before we could see their beautiful waterfalls. We were very grateful to them for opening up their stunning realm to visitors. The word “havasu” means blue-green water and the word “pai” means people; therefore, they are “people of the blue-green water.” Their reservation isn’t technically part of the Grand Canyon National Park, but in our defense, it is a branch of the Grand Canyon itself! We weren’t particular on if we were hiking in the actual Grand Canyon National Park. We just wanted a good destination and a reason to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and Havasu Falls was a very suitable reason.
Above is a cool aerial image of the trail (ignore the incorrect mileage and estimated time).
This is a great description of the hike. Check out the elevation graph. Pretty informative!
In our research, we found out that we couldn’t just do this on a day trip. An overnight stay in their campground was required. I assumed they really like having other humans visit and wanted us to stick around to really experience one of the places where heaven and earth mingle. In order to have such an experience, we had to book our permits ahead of time. Online reservations didn’t open until February 1st at 9am CST. It used to be that the only way to claim your spot was to call the village. Understandably, we learned the phone line was always busy at this time since spots were very competitive and limited. BUT online booking was just newly implemented!
So come February 1st, just before 9 o’clock in the morning, Lori sat at the computer, loaded the online reservation page, and sipped her morning beverage while keeping her eyes glued on the screen, repeatedly tapping her trackpad to refresh the browser. As promised, at 9am the online reservation opened. She excitedly waved her hands – possibly threw something at me – to get my attention. Together, we skimmed through the open schedule, decided on dates, and successfully secured 3 permits to visit Havasupai, AZ!
Micah became our loyal hiking buddy who saw the worth in doing this with us, especially on his birthday! He was such a fantastic friend to partner with since this meant hiking 10 miles into the canyon and 10 miles out with full packs. We spent months researching, planning, training, and procuring all the necessary gear. Micah, Lori, and I hike often but backpacking was new to us. We didn’t have all the gear needed at the time, but with the help of friends and family, we collected all we needed.
Day 1: Fly to Las Vegas > take Route 66 to Grand Canyon Caverns Inn
Soon after we arrived and picked up our rental car, we decided to be tourists and wait in a long line for photos in front of the “Welcome to FABULOUS Las Vegas” sign. We flew high in an acroyoga pose. Nothing else held us there so we hit the road to take U.S. Route 93 to Route 66.
On the way, we made a ptistop at the Hoover Dam to see what dams the nation’s largest water reservoir, Lake Mead, which supplies water to farms, businesses, and millions of people in Nevada, Arizona, California and Mexico. It was mind-blowing to see what powers California and what made Las Vegas possible in the middle of the desert. It was, in a word, colossal.
Since the 1930s, traffic used to run right along the top of the dam until it was rerouted just recently in 2010, by America’s second highest bridge, the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. We took the dam pictures from that bridge, as well.
We discovered some beautiful gems along Route 66 and even found Mater at the Cruz-N-66!
After reading a bunch of comment threads on the Havasu Facebook group, it seemed like the trailhead parking lot would be noisy at all hours of the night. We really liked the idea of getting there before it was dark and being ready to go really early in the morning, but we didn’t relish the idea of not having good sleep before a 10 mile hike.
So we chose to get a room at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. We were able to get a shower after flying and driving and a good night’s sleep. It was easy to set an alarm to wake up at 4a (6a our time) and make the 1.5 hour drive to the trailhead. That meant no tent or gear to pack up in the morning.
Day 2: Wake up at 4 > Drive 1.5 hours to Hualapai Hilltop > Hike 10 miles!
One thing we were concerned about was making the drive in the dark. People said to expect elk and other big creatures, and obviously there are no street lights. However, all we saw was the rear of an elk disappearing into the dark. It wasn’t until light started creeping back over the horizon that wild horses galloped up the road toward us just a few miles out from the trailhead. We paused and took in the interesting scenery, bonus with a moonset at the same time as a sunrise.
The trail starts from the Hualapai Hilltop parking lot which is usually packed with backpacker’s cars that flow out of the lot onto the side of the road. The trail is packed with dirt and gravel, but they look after it well. We decided to alternate between Merrel Vapor Gloves and Unshoes Unita sandals. Unless you like having dust build up in your shoes, from experience the Unshoes were the obvious winner. They were so comfortable, fit well, and gave our soles just enough protection while allowing the sand to move over and under our feet as well as wade through water.
The trail was in the shade of the canyon wall for most of the trek, making it a pleasant, if arduous, experience. Hiking poles are a personal preference. The hike down is steep for the first couple miles so poles can make it easier on your knees. It helped keep us upright and balanced with the weight of our backpacks without leaning forward. It’s worth paying to get the lightweight, packable poles that you can put in a side pocket of your pack when you don’t need them.
We learned that you want to really watch the weight of your backpack and keep it low as possible. Ideally, all the weight should be distributed in a good fitting backpack according to this list and what we packed:
Bottom = lightweight items:
- Sleeping bag
- Pillow
- Things you’ll only need at night (except for your flashlight or headlamp)
Middle = heavy items:
(these should be close to the spine for good support)
- Food – sealed in odorless bags labeled by day and which meal
- Water bladders – at least 1 gallon
- Stove and cook set (including fuel bottle)
Top = medium items:
- Clothes (keep very minimal for 3 nights)
• 1 hiking outfit: wicking underwear, dry-fit shirt, light shorts, Unshoes / Merrel Vapor Gloves
• For the days on/around the campground: same as above but with swim shorts, barefoot / Unshoes. There was plenty of time to let our clothes dry and freshen up on our clothes line.
• For sleeping: go pant-less and shirt-less or wear a comfy shirt since you’ll be in a mummy bag plus the temperature only got down to the 50s-low 60s at night in the end of September. - Tent (without poles) to wrap around the heavy items along with the clothes. We were glad to have a tent, but if you make the trek into Havasu Canyon earlier than late September it will still be quite warm at night. Many people recommend bringing only a hammock for sleeping.
- Snacks
- First aid / homeopathic kit
- Toilet paper / handkerchiefs
- Headlamp
- Clothes line
- Other essentials we had easy access to:
• Map
• Sun protection (hat and healthy sunscreen)
• Extra layers of clothes (jacket & beanie)
• Lighter
• Duct tape
• Utility knife
• Light bottle for extra water
Some packs have convenient hip belt pockets for a snack, lip balm, or a pocket-size Moleskine journal. Mine didn’t have one but I was fine with putting them in the pockets of my shorts. We were also able to secure our sleeping pads, trekking poles, and tent poles with the bottom straps and side straps.
What to leave at home:
- Heels
- Cotton clothes
- Gallon Jugs (that’s what hydration bladders are for)
- Blow dryer / electric razors
- Cranky people
- Fast food
- The Internet
Optional: a float. We decided not to bring floats since we felt we were able to grab one a group left behind. That turned out to be the case! A float raft was left behind on our chosen campsite.
Of course we took so many pics along the way to capture that Arizonian glow. Our cameras? iPhones ranging from SE to 8.
I love infographics so here is a helpful one from REI on how to choose and use a backpack.
We also gleaned a lot of helpful information from this ultimate guide to planning your Havasupai adventure.
With all that we were carrying, the hike was more difficult than we thought it would be. I experienced pain my left shoulder. Lori experienced some heel pain. Yoga stretches were very beneficial to our bodies during the loaded 10 mile trek!
Below is a chart with when to use certain poses. Borrowed from this post on Yoga for Hikers and Backpackers.
After 8 miles we arrived to Supai village to break for lunch at their cafe. They served fry bread (fried dough made from scratch) topped with traditional taco fillings. It was almost taco meets funnel cake. Sharing one between 2 people was enough. They take cash only. Fry bread alone was about $6, fry bread taco was about $12.
The village itself was more extensive than we thought (what with the school, clinic, church, etc). And it’s only 2 miles from the campground.
We passed by Navajo Falls on the way before arriving to Havasu Falls which came before the campground. There is access to spring water located at the beginning of the campground right after the horse corral where mules drop off packs. There you can drink straight out of the pipe which is sticking out of the canyon wall. It didn’t taste muddy or “earthy” at all, and it was refreshing. That was our first stop after arriving to the campground. It was neat seeing other backpackers coming to and from this same site for water and sharing this thing we all had a common need for.
We weren’t aware at the time of booking that the dates we reserved were during the Feast of Tabernacles / Sukkot. How timely! That also meant we had a full, bright moon each night.
Day 3: Trek to Mooney Falls > Trek Even Further to Beaver Falls
All the practice using the fuel cook stove before this adventure paid off. We had a successful hot breakfast in the morning light next to the beautiful blue-green stream we camped right next to.
Mooney Falls is just .5 miles past the campground. There are tight quarters of cave-like tunnels which we had to descend at our own risk to get to Mooney Falls. It was a thrilling experience climbing down muddy ladders wet from the mist of the falls. Mooney Falls appears to be higher than Havasu Falls and we agreed Mooney stood out even more in grace and power.
We had a ton of time there to explore, enjoy lunch, swim, and relax before we hiked 3.5 more miles away from the campground to Beaver Falls.
I once had the odd imagination that there would be sand and a stream and that would be it. But I was happily mistaken! The stream not only found its way through the desert, spring followed.
We saw many terraces along our walk to Beaver Falls. Crossed the river 3 times. Walked through a jungle-like scene, passed a random, lone palm tree, and clambered up and down multiple ladders.
I had to manually choose to believe I was there instead of saying “I can’t believe it!” Beaver Falls was an unreal place.
Day 4: Spend ALL day at Havasu Falls
Micah shared his rat sack with us to successfully protect our food from the cheeky, confident, fat, bugger squirrels overnight. For real, they’ll get into your stuff if you don’t hang them up well. We had one ziplock bag of clothes sitting on the ground in soapy water overnight. It looked like a squirrel popped it open to an explosion of water and ran away.
In the morning, we claimed a golden spot on a island-like piece of land in the middle of diverged streams coming right from Havasu Falls. We literally hung out in front of the falls on our Serac hammocks hooked to trees, in the shade, spotted by sunlight and sprayed by mist. I think our spot was the envy of the place.
What an amazingly spectacular place it is! When we arrived at 9:30, the amount of people there was sparse. A lot of people left the campsites on Thursday so it was nice to have the whole place almost to ourselves until it became a bit more popular around noon. I nudged Micah hanging next to me to look up and catch a scene of someone proposing to his lady right in front of the falls! Wading through the lunge pools was amazing. The milky blue-green of the waters owes itself to the lime from the rocks it rushes through for miles and miles.
After our chill day at Havasu Falls, we concluded the night with a hot meal and card games.
Day 5: Hike out of Havasu Canyon > Recover for the night at Kingman
During the 3 days of recovery, I experienced pain in my right IT band from a tight hip. I was concerned about the hike back up since it was tougher than I expected on the way down to the campground. We all were a bit concerned. Lori was half-seriously considering a helicopter or mule ride back. But obviously, since I wrote this post, we all made it out well!
We left around 5:30 in the morning with hopes to make it to the last couple miles of switchbacks before the sun laid its hot rays on us. Despite our best efforts, we still felt the heat of the sun on the climb up and out.
It was sweet when we finally made it to the top, but sad when we were leaving the beautiful Grand Canyon behind. We were all intrigued by my vigorous energy as we were traversing the switchbacks. When witnessing my perky nature, Micah and Lori asked me: “Who are you?” while, Lord bless them, they were exhausted by the difficulty of the steep ascension. I was so grateful the trouble spots on my body – left shoulder and right knee – had recovered.
I claim it was because of 4 things:
- Continually hydrate
- Eat all that is left of your food
- Trekking poles
- Yoga poses during breaks
It felt much easier on the body to walk up than down, perhaps because the backpack is lighter, we built leg strength, or the trekking poles really helped propel me forward.
Since it was Friday and the beginning of the weekend, large groups walked by us on their way in. We were surprised by the sheer volume of people and the amount of them that set out from the trailhead in the middle of the day. The parking lot was packed and more parked cars were lined up out of the lot for what seemed to last a mile.
How glad we were with burgers and a hotel to recover for the night! We were EXHAUSTED. But also full – we couldn’t have been happier.
Day 6: Return to Las Vegas > Fly Back to Nashville
We went from “We’re going to do it!” to “We’re doing it!” to “We did it!” It may have actually been the most physically taxing adventure of our lives thus far… but it was 100% worth it. We were so proud of ourselves for making it in and out of the Grand Canyon. We walked 30 miles, 20 of it with all our gear in a backpack. We learned so much about what it is really like to go backpacking with everything you need on your back. All the research, time spent practicing, the gear we bought or borrowed, were valuable for us to have a rewarding experience in Havasu Canyon.
I am so glad we had Micah as our travel companion. It was so good to have 3 heads together to figure out each challenge we faced. We became pros at operating the cooking stove and Lori mastered prepping meals for camping. I loved doing all this with Lori. I kept looking at her beaming face, amazed by how much she adapted to the situation and became a solid backpacker.
I would have loved if we stayed 5 nights to explore and enjoy more of the waters. But in the span of 3 nights you will really get a good dose of the place! There were hidden gems we missed and didn’t know of which we want to return to explore: swim behind Havasu Falls to the rock cave. Float down the creek flow between Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls. Hike to the Confluence of the Colorado River and Havasu Creek. And apparently there is a Hidden 6th waterfall!
We loved this trip and have decided we’d like to explore the West at least every other year. Possible next destination: Zion National Park.
