Havasupai Falls - Grand Canyon Part 1 of 2
I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon this past October 2016. It is exactly as mind-blowing and worth it as you think it is. For those who don’t know of Havasupai Falls, it’s a major hiking destination in Arizona that is famous for its blue-green waterfalls. Time Needed: 3 days (weekend) Cost: Low -assumes within driving distance of Havasupai trailhead and has car -largest expense was cost of flights from NYC Physical Effort: Medium-Low -Able to walk comfortably for long periods of time -The hike out of Havasupai Falls to the top is tough with packs -Able to helicopter/mule baggage in and out of the campsite (still have to hike 2 miles with packs) Risk: High -Several places to fall and crack your head on the rocks. Be smart, wear proper footwear, have the right gear, do your research. There are no lifeguards.
Some background - four of us flew from New York City to Phoenix, Arizona from October 27 through October 31 (5 days total, 3 days and 2 nights of which were spent in Grand Canyon/Havasupai). Our friend in Phoenix had gotten thirty permits for that weekend, and the rest of the members were from Phoenix. The flights were the main expense of the trip, with the permits being affordable.
Note: The permits were bought in March for a trip in October.
After flying in, we drove from Phoenix, AZ (borrowed an awesome friend’s car), picked up food, and joined our friends at the Grand Canyon Caverns, the best and only place you can stay for a quick getaway to the trailhead the next morning. Let me say, driving into this place was like the beginning of a horror movie - it’s quirky to the extreme. So I willingly forced one of my friends to ask the man at the counter there how to get to our campground. We did so successfully and no one died.
We got to the campground after nightfall, so if you do this make sure to bring a headlamp - you can keep your hands free while pitching tents and unloading your packs. It’s also quite useful if you’re trying to walk anywhere at night. We had a wonderful night around the campfire getting to know everyone before we called it a night - we had to be up at 5:30am the next morning.
We got our free breakfast at the Grand Canyon Caverns, filled up our water bottles and Camelbaks in the store, and headed out for the 1 hr. 15 minute drive. Incredibly scenic and deserted except for a couple of cows and cars. Great roads to rev up on after the traffic of NYC and Phoenix. Got up to 100 mph, which is all my friends would allow me to do.
All four of us in the car had never seen the Grand Canyon before.
“Is that the Grand Canyon?” “Does it look like a giant hole in the ground?” “Yes.” “Probably the Grand Canyon.” We parked at the trailhead and got our packs out. By the way, there are options to have your packs mule-d down and helicoptered down. Most of the group opted for the latter. My two friends from NYC and I decided to carry our packs down the 10 mile trek.
Fun fact: There is no water until you get to the village 8 miles in. The first part of the hike is all downhill and switchbacks. The hike took us 4 hours, and we could’ve done it faster if we hadn’t been stopping for photos or taken a leisurely lunch. Our friends without packs, it took them 2 hours. The entire trek smells like animal shit. The ground alternated between rocky and sandy. Being in the Grand Canyon is incredible and beyond belief.
As long as you are able to walk comfortably for long periods of time, you can do this trek. The helicopter ride in and out is $85/person, pack included. To send your bag down is $10? It’s been a while so money might be off but not by much. The most amount of time this trek will take you is 4 hours unless you are not active at all. Timeline: Left Grand Canyon Caverns around 6:30am, on trail by 8:30am, got to the campsite around 2:30pm due to our stops for lunch, ice cream, and general sightseeing.
8 miles in, you get to the Havasupai village. Protip: do not pet the dogs, do not feed the dogs. There is drinking water here. You need to register here and get tags that are to be displayed on your bags at all time. You also pick up your packs here if you had them brought down. There is also a store which has a bunch of stuff, including food to eat - my friend Jeff decided to buy a pint of ice cream and eat it before we finished the last two miles. I can’t eat ice cream/dairy so he took great pleasure in eating the ice cream in front of me. Slowly. When we were done, we hiked the last two miles to the campground, which is a very sandy downhill. We passed the first of the falls on the way. Before the falls we passed this river which some guys in another group got really excited about. You can start to see the mineral coloring in the river here.
We then saw Fifty Foot Falls, which is on the way to the campground from the Supai Lodge. We didn’t linger long as we wanted to get to camp but wow was it hard to keep moving. The photo below doesn’t do it justice.
And right before the campground is Havasu Falls, which was one of those, “I’m so glad I’m alive and here” moments.
We made it to the campground, set up camp, got water at the natural spring there (it’s drinkable without tablets, although my immediate group was careful and used water tablets), and immediately put on bathing suits and went back to Havasu Falls to bathe (bio-degradable soup only!) and swim. Campground below.
Then our group had dinner at the picnic tables near our camp and went to bed. No campfires allowed, so bring a lantern and headlamps for light. Continued in Part 2!