Did I mention how happy I was to have had ear plugs and an eye mask on this trip? There were cars pulling in at all hours, most of them using the bathroom at least once (especially one with the squeaky door) with no concern for anyone who might be trying to get a few hours of sleep, say before a 10 mile hike in the morning. The eye mask not only helped keep the wind off my face but the bright parking lot light, as well. Sleeping on gravel, even with a Neo Air, is not exactly sleep conducive either. But enough of the whining, I eventually woke up to this amazing scene from my canyon side bedroom:
As the day brightened ever so slightly I could see that at least half of my neighbors had been the “3 am” hikers, things were less crowded on the rim. There was the smell of bacon from the back of someone’s pickup truck and sleepy eyed folks wandering from the bathrooms to the cars in varying degree of preparedness. It was a bit nippy so just like me, most had on warm caps and puffy jackets. Some had tennis shoes, some had hiking boots, some had on flip flops. Some had on hooded sweatshirts and running shorts. This was not your typical trailhead, more like a early morning tailgate party.
Denise and I ate breakfast and “cameled up” on water. I had no intention of carrying the recommended gallon of water so I drank a liter before we walked over to the trailhead to the right of the portable office we had stopped at the night before to give our names. The building had warnings about the risks of the hike and what could be described as basic hiking essentials to remind people this was an outdoor adventure and not a trip to Disneyland.
This time there was a large black pickup parked in front with a member of the tribe at the wheel, I’m guessing a grandma with a sleeping infant in a car seat carrier next to her. We were once again asked for our names to check in before heading down into the canyon. It was nice to see with how hard it was to get permits that they do a good job of monitoring who hikes in.
We were still in the shade at 6:15 am as we began the slow, wide switchbacks descending the 2000ft to the bottom. I not only marveled at the distinct sandstone canyon walls but the spring desert flora that lined the trail. I have been doing more and more hiking in the southwest in the last few years and I am learning it is not all barren land. The colors of the flowers are even more striking when contrasted with the arid landscape around them. Most people who were hiking down with us seemed to be in a hurry, I wonder if they even noticed the beauty they were rushing by.
As we made our way along the dry creek bed and deeper into the canyon, at least once we were passed by folks trail running with nothing more than a hydration pack on. At first I had thought they must be day hikers who had somehow managed to get past the checkpoint. But after a few more of that same theme I realized they were “slack packers”, people who were having their things packed in on the horses and mules. In search of the best camping spot, I guess.
About 3 hours from the trailhead we hit the turn to Supai and it was 20 minutes until we started into the village and the office was 10 minutes later. It took about 10 minutes to check in but there was no line. They asked me for my I.D. and I signed a contract with the rules of visiting the village and staying in the campground. We were given wristbands to wear during our stay and sent on our way.
We continued our walk through the small town of Supai, past folks waiting for the helicopter to land or standing outside the grocery store. The children were playing outside on the playground at the school and a helicopter was lowering truss materials down to construction workers on top of a new building. Soon we were passing out of town and by more homes and eventually a sign that pointed towards the campground. A few teenagers were making their way into town, maybe a little late for class?
The walk here took us along the creek and the cascades of the Havasu Creek began. Denise wanted to take pictures and I offered to continue on and find us a campsite so I continued on ahead of her. I figured I could take more time tomorrow on our way out. It was about 45 minutes later when I reached Havasu Falls and it really is just as beautiful as you see in the pictures. The water comes over the burnt orange canyon wall that appears to be melting in the hot desert sun and drops down into a turquoise travertine pool unlike anything I have ever seen. There were campers standing and swimming in the water that looked more manmade than natural, enjoying the cool in the heat of the day. And it was only 10am!
I was ready to ditch my pack, so I kept moving. Just a few hundred more yards and I was at the campground which started with a food stand, horse corral, ranger station and bathrooms. From here the campsites began and I started looking for one that would fit Denise and I.
I opted for a small one not that far in, right along the river and close to the bathrooms and spring. I set my pack down and walked a bit further but didn’t spot anything better so I kept it. We were only here one night so there wasn’t really a point to spending a lot of time on campsite selection. We were here to explore.
Denise soon arrived and after eating lunch and setting up camp (Denise anyway) we walked down towards Mooney Falls a little after noon. The camp sites extended all the way to just above the falls, I’m guessing those are prime real estate. We stood on the edge for a bit and peered down at the pool below filled with folks swimming and laying out on picnic tables in the water. I was a little confused at first because I was expecting the trail to continue in the same way we had come this far but this is where things got interesting.
The trail technically ends and becomes a path carved in the canyon wall.
We made it down the rocky steps and brief viewing points and through the two tunnels but when we came out on the other side we could see the last 40 feet or so meant hanging on to chains and turning around to lower ourselves down on ladders to reach the ground. And as you can guess, everything was wet from the spray of the waterfalls. On the ground below groups of people were waiting their turn to come up as it is single file only. (You may ask yourself how I used two hands AND held my phone to take pictures.)
Denise has reached her limit and opted to turn back at this point. I encouraged her to continue but she hadn’t expected it to be so steep and decided to head back up and hang out at Havasu Falls instead. I was already half way down the worst of it so continued on to the bottom. Although everything was wet but not as slippery as it appeared it would be. I had on my Luna sandals and did just fine but if you aren’t used to climbing like this or just don’t like heights, this would test your desire to visit Mooney and beyond.
When I made it to the bottom, I looked up to see Denise had made her way back to the top and was waving from above. We couldn’t hear each other with the pounding of the falls, but she gestured she was heading back to camp and Havasu and I tried to say I was going to go for a bit and then join her. I was thinking I would just walk down the creek for an hour or so and return.
The trail from here wove along the creek, through trees and vines like something out of Planet of The Apes. I saw a few folks hanging from hammocks, some wading and floating on inner tubes in the water and taking selfies and more hikers in front of me. The further I went the less people and the quieter it became. There was nothing but the sound of the nature. It was lovely.
I had started a GAIA track from the campground and was keeping track of my mileage. I had thought I had read online it was 3 miles from camp and so that was my goal. At about 3 miles in, I was checking the time and thinking it was best to rejoin Denise so when I found a set of waterfalls with a nice empty swimming hole I made it my turn around point.
I didn’t think I was at the official Beaver Falls but that was okay. It was probably filled with people and I could always come back in the morning early and check it out when it was most likely going to be deserted. As I sat there eating some snacks, relishing the heat and humidity with my feet dangling in the jade tinted water, all I could think about as how blessed I was to be able to be here. And more importantly, how I would be practicing ice arrest on Mt Baker in about a week from now. A contrast for sure.
I finished my stay and headed back a little after 2pm. I knew it would take me awhile to head back and I was feeling bad about Denise being by herself. I also rationalized that I could get up early in the morning and come back to go further because we had talked about staying as long as we could the second day before hiking back out of the canyon.
After passing by Mooney again and making my way up the ladders and chains, I was back to camp about 4pm. Denise was not in camp, so I took some time to get water and sat by the river as it rolled by. She eventually returned to having spent the afternoon at Havasu Falls relaxing in the water. You could tell she had enjoyed herself with the look of calm and slight sunburn on her face.
Denise suggested we go check out the food stand we had passed coming in, Indian tacos sounded good to her. We had brought backpacking meals but not having to cook is almost always more enjoyable while on vacation. Besides, we hadn’t eaten out yet on our trip and this seemed like the perfect place to eat local. Not that I was expecting them to have anything “paleo” but I was sure they would have something I could eat. It was only 4:30 so even if all I did was get a snack, I would have time later on to make one of the meals I brought.
The taco stand had several tables filled with campers eating dinner. The family making up the fresh fry bread* had a little boy around the age of 2 who was making friends with a few older children waiting for their meal so that he could walk over and climb on a nearby rock (dad would come out and supervise him periodically but what kid doesn’t want to climb ALL THE TIME??). Denise ordered the Indian taco and I had a chili dog and Dr. Pepper. Yes, yes I did. And it was DIVINE.
We sat down and a couple from Florida joined us at the table and we had fun talking about hiking both where they are from (Florida does have trails) and here in Arizona where her parents live in St. George by Zion. Another thing I observed while sitting here was that there are ALL kinds of folks enjoying the falls. Although limiting exposure to those who can backpack in with all their gear would mean a little bit more “backcountry” feel, the fact that you can day hike in or helicopter in does mean more accessibility. Whole families from grandparents to little ones were enjoying the falls. Kinda cool, I thought.
After dinner, we returned back to camp and I had to decide what to do about my sleeping arrangements. In planning my trip I had planned to be hammocking but with its demise, I only had my tarp. The weather was so warm and there really were no bug so I would have just cowboy camped if it wasn’t for the darn WIND. Okay, it wasn’t as bad as the afternoon winds that come through Sun Lakes State Park in Eastern Washington but there was no way I would get any sleep with that blowing through camp. After a few failed attempts to set up with my poles, I opted to use the trees next to the picnic table to set that baby up. I don’t think I did too bad as I was trying to have it come down to the ground as much as possible to keep wind out. Thank goodness for a few rocks I found.
Denise I then talked about what to do tomorrow. Ultimately, both of us had seen all we really needed to see of Havasupai and the thought of getting on the road early tomorrow and onto our next adventure seemed better than camping out in the parking lot again. We acknowledged that this is truly a beautiful place but we are hikers, not campers. I was a little disappointed at not being able to return to find the full Beaver Falls or even the Colorado River but luckily there are many more beautiful places in the world to explore.
Denise also had an idea about what to do for our last night on the road. She knew I wanted to drive back to Vegas via the Mojave National Preserve, another place I have not visited before. However, she felt she had maybe reached her limit of fun and might want to have me drop her off at a hotel near Vegas while I did that and then pick her up on the way to the airport. I totally understood; I do tend to wear most folks out with my see-as-much-as-I-can-see attitude.
About 6:30, Denise opted to relax in her tent and I decided to go check out Havasu Falls since we would be leaving early in the morning. I was happy to see that by visiting after the sun went down, folks were eating dinner so I had the place pretty much to myself. Maybe I wouldn’t have Instagram worthy photos but the tradeoff was worth it. I certainly wasn’t going to be snapping anything better than what you can already find online. I explored a little off to the side and around by the outflow and sat lazily by the water as it spilled over the terraces of the creek. So peaceful.
Back to camp at 7pm (clearly I have a hard time just sitting and being peaceful), I realized I needed a little more for dinner and since I had hauled the food in, I might as well eat some. Denise had carried in her Jet Boil (in exchange for me bringing our meals), so I cooked up some gluten-free Easy Cheesy Pasta. Since I usually eat this no cook, it was nice to see that when using hot water, simmering a little and then soaking it makes a yummy creamy sauce.
With the sun settled down over the canyon walls, we also took shelter into our tent and tarp. Our goal was to walk out around 7:30am, enough time for Denise to sleep in but early enough to beat most of the day’s heat tomorrow. That climb out of the canyon was going to be brutal without the early morning shade we had on our way in. Good thing we had some cold drinks waiting in the cooler for when we made it to the parking lot. Sometimes it is the little things that motivate so well.
Laying on my sleeping bag in shorts and a t-shirt, it was another night that I was once again thankful for ear plugs, not only because of the sound of music being played but the mating frogs were in full force. Too bad there wasn’t a way to avoid the smell of someone smoking close to us. Oh well, things aren’t always perfect in paradise. As I drifted off to sleep, I was already focusing on how to make it to Mojave by the next night. Only two days left in our adventure and it already seemed like a week full of fun. What else could I cram in?
*Have you had fry bread before? If you are not avoiding gluten, you should totally try some. It’s kind of like getting an elephant ear at the fair but thicker like a funnel cake. You can either have it like a big taco salad or put toppings on it like cinnamon and sugar or NUTELLA. It’s real hiker junk food at its finest. I had to skip it but Denise’s looked delicious!!
For more information about hiking to Havasupai Falls, checkout my page Havasu Canyon and Havasupai Falls with the latest.
To join my story from the beginning, start with Spring Break Road Trip: Where Do I Start? To find out what happened on our next day, read Spring Break Road Trip Day 5: Paradise Lost, An Angel and Mojave Night Life
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