Havasupai Falls, AZ

No, this is not from a ride at Disney.

Everything you've heard about the beauty of the turquoise blue-green waters of Havasupai Falls is true. Yes, it really is that blue and no, photos can't really capture what it's like to see it with your own eyes. If you don't go with one of the big "adventure" groups, the logistics of the trip can be a bit difficult, but it's well worth the effort. It also has some of the best camping toilets I've ever used. Top 3 for sure.

Katka was finally able to get through in May and make reservations for a 3 night stay in late September, which so happened to coincide with her birthday and our anniversary. Hell yeah.

September finally rolled around, and we took off from Los Angeles on a Tuesday. Taking our time, we arrived at the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. It's a funky and totally cheesy (in a good way) motel with lots of dinosaur statues, old rusted cars (an Arizona trademark, it seems), and a huge cavern that we did not get a chance to tour. It's also one of the few lodging options near (and that's a relative term) the trail head for Havasupai. We managed to check in and get to the restaurant before it closed. We were the only ones there, so the waiter and chef pretty much hung out with us while we ate. We discussed the waiter's recent conversion to Veganism, ("Have you heard of the Whole Foods?", the wonders of solar power, and the chef's general amusement at the local populace's reaction to him being a black, Jewish German in Arizona. 

Waking up early the next morning, we headed down Route 66 a few miles before turning off on the Indian highway. It's about 55 miles or so from the turnoff to the parking lot, so we really recommend filling up your gas tank the night before. Cell service in the area (and Arizona in general) was a bit spotty, and you could be in a real pickle if you run out.  We pulled into the parking lot around 9 am and managed to find a spot. We double checked for future reference if it was ever possible to walk up and get on a permit on the spot. The woman in charge at the check in laughed and said no, so there you have it. Don't show up without a reservation.

The first mile or so of the trail is a fairly steep decline via switchbacks. The view of the canyon was nice and we passed in and out of shade. We started passing some hikers coming out, and they all mentioned that they had left camp or the lodge around 4 am or so in order to avoid the sun. We noted their advice and pressed on. 

The hike to the village is... well, kind of boring. It's all downhill and most of it takes place inside the canyon where you zig zag across a wash to stay on trail. At points, the ground is made up of very soft sand, slowing you down even further. It's not ugly or anything, but it is somewhat monotonous. If the helicopter isn't available, by all means, do the hike, but it won't be super memorable. Occasionally, a pack of mules will pass by you, kicking up sand, dust, and the unmistakable scent of urine. We had read reports of animal abuse issues online, but all the animals we saw looked healthy. There certainly weren't any laboring or suffering with open sores. Maybe all the complaints led to some improvement in their treatment. If you choose to use this option, make sure to look at the animals first and check that they're in good health so that you don't support animal cruelty with your money. 

Most of the time, the locals passed by on horse with a simple hello or good morning. We were taking a break about 6 miles in, and one local spotted us coming around the corner and shouted out RICCCOOOOOOLAAAA, which garnered a laugh, even though Katka didn't get the context. He stopped and chatted with us for a bit and told us we were getting closer. At this point, the temperature had gotten fairly warm, but the canyon provided some shade along the walls. If you do the hike, definitely pack plenty of water and make sure to bring something with electrolytes, because you will sweat quite a bit.

Once the canyon opened up, we saw a sign for the village. It says "You're almost there" but that's not really accurate. In truth, there was still about 1 mile to go before we reached the village, and another 2 miles if you are are going to the campground. So when you see that sign, don't get too excited. However, it should be noted that not long after you see that sign, you start to get your first looks at the blue green water next to the trail. Trust me when I say it only gets nicer, but it did provide a small mental pick me up.

We arrived in the village around 1 pm. A few stray dogs barked when we passed by, but none of them bothered us. We checked in at the Tourism Office (where we saw the one phone set up), and received tags for our tent and wristbands that we had to wear during our stay. We also received a copy of the rules, which also prohibits bringing alcohol or illegal substances onto the land. Not every guest we encountered respected these rules, and it's a shame. There are several signs up around the village about support meetings for locals with substance abuse issues. If you know anything about history, you would think it'd be common sense to abide by these rules. 

While we had been snacking on the hike in, we were still hungry, so stopped at the village cafe for a bite to eat. They were out of Fry Bread and french fries, but we made due with a cheeseburger, an order of spicy wings, and an order of tater tots. We had arrived at a slow time, so we received our food fairly fast. Did you ever go to a swimming pool BBQ as a kid and get a burger for lunch? It tasted exactly like that. So, was it gourmet? Of course not. But it hit the spot and filled us up. We also bought some ice cream bars from the store. Some people might balk at the prices, but when you remember that everything there is brought in by helicopter or by mules or horses, you shouldn't care that your Hagen Daz bar is $4 instead of $2. 

To get to the campground, we basically stayed to the right while following the road from the cafe. The trail became very sandy at points, and it was very hot at this point. After about a mile, we got our first view of 50 Foot Falls. It was undeniably beautiful, but you can't help but notice that most of the people there are just taking selfies or posing for photos in the water. I don't really want to sound like a crank because I took plenty of photos as well, but at some point I really recommend putting down your phone and taking in what nature has to show you. If the helicopter option wasn't available, I doubt it would be as busy or attract the Instagram-loving crowd that is all too happy to pose with the swimsuits pulled off in the waters that the locals hold sacred. OK, rant over.

We finally reached the campground around 4 pm, passing the magnificent Havasu Falls on the way. There are plenty of places to set up your tent or hammock throughout the site. While most people tended to crowd around the head of the campground, we found plenty of semi-isolated spaces further along. We ended up camping next to a really nice couple from Wisconsin on their first big backpack. Most of the spots are close to the water that runs through the area. Heck, there are even some trees that you can set your hammock up that have water running underneath. This all makes for some nice white noise as you drift off to sleep, but it also means you need to be mindful of your trash and waste. It is possible to rent some buckets with lids from the rangers to store your food, negating the need for a bear canister, but it's not always a guarantee. There is a clean water spring in the middle of the campground (towards the canyon wall), and the water tastes great!

Now, here's what you all came for: there are three toilet stations throughout the campground, and I was thoroughly impressed at their set up. Each station has three pit toilets, and each stall has its own supply of saw dust. They ask you to shove one scoop of saw dust after you do your business, and magically, it kills almost all the foul odors. Why more parks don't do this is anyone's guess. They also have hand-sanitzer pumps located on the outside of the stalls. While you should still clean your hands thoroughly after speaking to a man about a horse, this is better than nothing at all. Honestly, these are probably the second best camping toilets I have ever used. Two big thumbs up.

We slept well that night, apart from the occasional super bright LED light beams strafing the area from our neighbors across the water. We got started early the next morning in order to beat the crowds. While most of the lodgers tend to stay at 50 Foot and Havasu Falls, we wanted to go see Beaver and Mooney Falls. Mooney is located at the end of the campground, but to access it, you need to climb down steep steps, through two cave openings, and down a series of ladders that get wetter the further you descend. There are "proceed at your own risk" signs everywhere, but it's not a bad descent if you're smart and careful. For one, have good shoes, flip flops won't suffice. Two, when descending ladders, turn around and face the canyon wall. The ladders all have some give to them, and if you are facing out towards the falls, you may freak out and... welp, let's not go there. Three, give enough space between anyone in front and behind you. A couple was trying to follow us and we had to ask them to wait to descend until we finished each section, mostly because we didn't want them to fall on us if they screwed up. We'd also advise storing at hiking poles you may be carrying, as you will rely more on your hands for support.

Upon reaching the bottom, it is tempting to just stay at Mooney Falls. It's fairly dramatic, it has picnic tables, and there are plenty of spots to relax in the water. However, we decided to press on to Beaver. The trail to Beaver is about 3 miles long, and it consists of several water crossings. The best option would be to have water shoes/hiking sandals that you can change into (and just keep on for most of trip if they have good enough grip). You can also take off your boots each time, but that would get annoying and waste time. We protected our phones and cameras in water proof bags, but none of the crossings went above waist level. Again, it's amazing to just take in the surroundings and the clarity and color of the water. PLEASE do not spoil it by leaving your trash behind on the trail. I can't tell you how many empty drink bottles and wrappers we came across. We tried to pick up as many as we could, but step your game up, fellow visitors.

When you arrive to the palm tree cave (trust me, you'll know it when you see it), you will have two options to get to the falls. Go to the left, and you will have a chance to explore some of the upper falls and some nice pools that look down upon the rest of the area. You can still access the lower falls from these pools, but you have to climb down a steep canyon side with the aide of a rope. You'll then have to jump in the water that is probably neck high or deeper on most people. So if you don't have a phone or camera, no big deal. However, if you want to keep things dry, go through the palm tree cave and follow the trail up and around to the middle of Beaver Falls. There will be plenty of options to explore. We doubled back up the left side and set up our hammock on the edge of the middle falls pools. It made for a great picnic spot, not to mention we had the free entertainment of watching people climb the rope ladder and end up getting soaked trying to cross the pool.

There is a 60 foot jump site nearby Beaver Falls, but we enjoy not having our backs locked up, so we skipped it. There is also a trail that continues to the Colorado River, but there is a sign warning that if you are not at this point by 11:30 am, you are prohibited from trying to make it to the end. It's probably another 3 miles or so, and while it's not like you wouldn't get there with day time left, but I'm sure the Rangers are tired of rescuing people who didn't bring the proper gear (10 essentials people!) to make it back in time. Also, climbing up the Mooney Falls stairs in the dark? NO THANKS.

A quick pace brought us back to Mooney Falls with plenty of time to explore. The spray can be a little cool, but again, the area is great to relax. When we had our fill, we snacked on some energy chews and proceeded to climb up the steep as hell ladders and stairs again. If you have a lot of upper body strength, it will probably be a lot easier to head up than it is down. This is probably another reason they don't want you climbing this thing in the dark. If you're tired and low on snacks/energy, it would be easy to have an accident. Luckily, that wasn't an issue, so we returned to camp for the evening. At one point, the rangers stopped by our site and checked our wrist bands and tent tags. We spoke to them a bit, and they mentioned that sometimes they are out there for days without enough food. They described themselves as a "poor and needy" people, so we told them we'd leave behind any extra food (save for an emergency meal) in the storage bucket when upon return. LEss for us to carry, and they get some much needed nutrition. Win-win all around.

When we woke up Friday morning, it was amazing to see the turnaround on many of the campsites. Many people we talked to only had permits for one night, which means they had gotten up early to hike out or had packed everything up so that they would be ready to go in the afternoon when it started to drop a bit. Personally, I don't think the trip is worth it if you only have one night. You're going to spend the majority of your time hiking in or out or waiting for a helicopter if they're even flying that day. Two nights would be packed, but three is ideal. Permits are scarce, so I get why people accept the one night only thing, but it is not ideal at all.

Our first stop of the morning was Navajo Falls. I don't know why they would name the falls after a neighboring tribe, but it was definitely worth the stop. The falls can be seen from the high above main trail, but accessing them requires you to do some water crossing along the side of the canyon. It's not the most obvious trail, so as a result, we had the falls all to ourselves for most of the morning. Great place to swim and watch the water turn different colors as the sun rose.

After returning to the trail, we headed over to 50 Foot Falls. It was still populated by some of the Instagram crowd, but also made for a great spot to relax. After finishing lunch, we walked a bit up the trail to another set of falls set against a canyon covered in ferns. It looked like it was pulled straight out of Hawaii. We swam out into the middle and attempted to navigate through the reeds and water pathways back to our lunch spot. I say attempted, as we had to climb out a bit early as Katka discovered that her waterproof phone bag had a tiny hole. Whoops.

We returned back to camp, but not before stopping to properly explore Havasu Falls. We set our hammock up and chilled for a good hour or so, taking turns exploring the area. If you head to the left of the falls and up the small hill, there is a nice, secluded picnic area with tables and the remains of a fire circle even though fires are clearly not allowed. There was also something vaguely resembling a snare trap hanging from a branch, so you know on second thought, maybe don't go up there. A masseuse was also giving someone a massage on a table on the banks near the falls. If we had to guess, that might be something set up through the lodge, but not 100% sure. Seems a tad odd to me, but to each their own.

Upon arrival back at our campsite, we found an invitation to dinner from the large group camping a bit down the path from us. We joined them for a bit. They had a full set up going with propane cooking tanks, coolers, chairs, etc. I have no idea how much it cost them to schlep all that stuff down by mule, but they were not wanting for comfort. They also were openly drinking alcohol and smoking weed. Again, if the owners of the land you are staying on have set rules that these substances shouldn't be on site, shouldn't you respect that? We heard a lot of talk about how this group comes once every other year or so, and that they always cook a big meal for the tribe so they treat us really nice in return. It all felt very white knight-ish, but I don't think there were bad intentions behind the gestures. It's just so odd to see so many people unaware of their own privilege. We had an early start ahead of us, so we thanked them for dinner and turned in.

We woke up around 3:30 am or so and started packing, and by 5 am we were on our way out. Once or twice our head lamps caught the reflection of some eyes belonging to a species of stray cat that lives in the area. They apparently hide during the day, so night time is the only time you may catch a glimpse. We kept a good pace and by the time we exited the village, we didn't need our lights anymore. We remained moving, preferring to snack and drink as we go. The path up was gradual, but it was almost all uphill. We started to pass incoming hikers somewhere around 8:00. We reached the end of the canyon at 9 am, just as the sun was fully overhead. The final two miles are the worst, as the path winds steeply uphill. The switchbacks have some shade, but all you can think about is getting to the top, which we finally did just after 10 am, some 5 hours after we left camp. A quick change of clothes in the parking lot and we were off to explore Route 66 on our way back to LA.

So, is this trip worth doing? Absolutely, but we wholly encourage you to get more than one night on your permit if possible. And, if you do go, please don't be a bad visitor. The land is truly special, and it will only remain that way if we help the tribe keep it that way.