Backpacking Havasupai, Arizona - All the waterfalls

I always wonder if anyone reads these descriptions. I sure don't. But I love typing stuff so much, I'll do it anyway. Plus algorithm and all that.

Havasupai is an amazing place. It has waterfalls. Lots of waterfalls. And teal blue water. And super hard to get permits. But I got permits anyway. Because that's what I do. Oh wait. I screwed up. I was supposed to get two permits so I could hike it with my wife. But instead, I only got one. So I backpacked it solo. Tina wasn't too upset since it's not fun hiking out of this place.

Anyway, the hike to Havasupai is fairly straightforward. Except that a lot of people underestimate it and regret it. It's maybe 11 miles and 2,000(ish) feet of elevation loss. Yeah, you can take a helicopter in (when they're running) and you can have the mules/horses carry in your pack. But that's no fun. So I carried all my stuff in.

Around 9 miles, you come to Supai villiage. It's another 2 miles to the campground, but you can restock at the store or eat at the cafe before continuing on. On the way to the campground, you first pass Fifty Foot Falls. Shortly downstream you will come to Navajo Falls. Both are beautiful, but it's not until just before the campground that you really get a taste for what you're in for. Shortly after crossing a bridge and seeing some Navajo taco stands, you'll come upon Havasu Falls. Havasu Falls is a 98 foot waterfall. And it is impressive. Here is where I usually forget about the crowds and how tired I am and just stand there in awe. Havasu Falls is a sight to behold.

But that's only the start of it. Right after Havasu Falls, you come to the campground. I want to say it's about a mile long. Here you look for a decent spot (first come first served.) Set down your gear and continue on. At the end of the campground is my favorite spot; Mooney Falls. Mooney Falls is impressive for a couple of reasons. First, it's the tallest falls in Havasupai. Second, the pathway to the bottom of Mooney Falls is sketchy. Very sketchy. The path proceeds down an impossibly steep cliff face, through two tunnels and then what appears to be a dead end. But here you pick up the ladders and chains to proceed on. On my first descent, I was going down with someone I met on the path. He looked at the chains and turned around. I've seen quite a few people do that. It's slick with spray from Mooney Falls, steep and...less than ADA compliant.

But if you make it to the bottom, it's worth it. Mooney Falls from the base is incredible.

And there's more. Continue downstream another 2 or 3 miles and you come to the last set of waterfalls; Beaver Falls. And the hike between Mooney and Beaver in itself is incredible. Plenty of swimming holes, small waterfalls and if you're lucky some big horned sheep.

For the really adventurous, you can continue downstream from Beaver Falls all the way to the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. This is called the Confluence, where the teal blue water of Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River. (I didn't do this on this trip, but I have been before.)

And that's about it, if that weren't enough. On this particular trip, I wanted to take a helicopter out. It's not that I couldn't carry my stuff and hike out myself; it's an $80 (or so) cost to take a helicopter out of the Grand Canyon. Which is money well spent, even if just for the helicopter ride.

Unfortunately, someone heard that you were supposed to meet in front of the lodge for the helicopter. That is incorrect. You wait by the helicopter pad. Someone figured that out after a ton of us had waited in the wrong spot for hours. Instead of forming an orderly line, chaos ensued and everyone started shoving and arguing.

This isn't why I go into the wilderness, so I grabbed my backpack and hiked my way out. A slight annoyance on an otherwise incredible trip.

Music by Epidemic Sound:

Silver Maple - We Are Giants

Music by Artlist:

Duke of Norfolk - Dylan Thomas Bitter Bitter
Will Van De Crommert - Back to Bach Cello Version
Tiko Tiko - Against All Odds
Ohad Ben Ari - Clair de Lune Debussy
SOURWAH - Its Going Down