Havasupai, Grand Canyon
H A V A S U P A I
G R A N DāC A N Y O N
Havasupai has been on Danny's list for awhile! As it's on an Indian Reservation, you need a permit to access and the only way to obtain the permit is by calling and speaking with someone. Danny called almost everyday for a month before he was finally connected and able to reserve our spot. (There's now an online sign-up!).
We flew into Las Vegas late Thursday night, rented a car, and drove three hours to The Grand Canyon Caverns Motel. It was dark when we pulled up, but Hailey could sense this was the type of hotel you would be murdered in...
After waking up early bright and early Friday, we drove an hour to the Havasupai trailhead. We started our hike just after sunrise and it took us a little over four hours. There were groups of other hikers, but the trail wasn't too busy. Hailey's pack was about 20 pounds and Danny's 50. The first two miles is a steep decent before it levels out to a gradual decline for the last ten.
For it being a semi strenuous hike, there are surprisingly a lot of amateur hikers, which makes the helicopter ride in and out popular (cheaters!). Hikers also hire pack mules to carry their bags, food, tents, etc. From what we know, the horses are treated poorly, so Hailey did her best to encourage them along the way.
About eight miles into the hike, you'll reach the main town of Havasupai. It doesn't consist of much, but there is a convenient store and a small "restaurant" to grab a bite. From here it's two more miles until you hit the first falls and the campgrounds!
After setting up camp, we explored Havasupai Falls and the top of Mooney Falls. Since we were within the canyon walls, we didn't get too much daylight. We were exhausted anyway, so decided to call it an early night after dinner and a few rounds of cards.
The next day we hiked down Mooney Falls and down the canyon to Beaver Creek. A bit of a hiking traffic jam can occur going down to Mooney Falls as theirs only a small, single person way up/down. The hike to Beaver Creek was beautiful, we were blown away by the color of the water against the red canyon rocks.
After waking up early on Sunday, we hiked the ten miles out. The last two miles challenged Hailey, as they were steep switchbacks all the way up, but overall it actually took us less time going up than it did the way down. Every magical view of Havasupai was worth it and we cannot wait to do it again!
