Havasu falls

Nina's Perspective:

We made it back! WOW, what a wonderful excursion it was.

We left Friday afternoon for the 6 hour road trip to the trail head. Its way out there in the middle of nowhere. Most people stay at a hotel that is about an hour or so away, but we wanted to be at the trail head. Sleeping in the car was not an option since there were 4 of us in a Corolla. So we decided we would camp. We found a spot off the road near the trail head. It was a little eerie where we were, dark and quiet and strange. I slept very poorly that night.

Our site along the road

We got up at 6 on Saturday and got ready to go. I was so excited to get down there and see the falls. The 10 miles between us was not even on my mind.

All smiles before heading down

Looking down at our trail to the bottom

We hit the trail around 8. Brian and Greg were of course way ahead of us, but we took our time going down, stopping to look around and take pictures. We were in no hurry to get to the village. It was a beautiful hike through the canyon. A lot of horse packs passed us on their way up to the top to collect peoples packs and supplies. This is not a hard hike. You navigate the switchbacks for a mile or so and then its flat the rest of the way. Its just long.

Walking through the canyon bottom

The horse packs going by

By mile 6 the weight of the pack was starting to affect me. We stopped for lunch near the stream and were happy to only have 4 more miles to go. Two miles from where we had lunch we entered the town of Supai. This is where the Havasupai People live. Its fairly poor looking, but everyone seemed to own horses. Tourism is clearly the biggest money maker there.

Lunch break

The beginning of the village of Supai

We checked in and now only had 2 more miles. Perhaps the longest 2 miles of my life. By now its 1 pm and the sun is in full force. We lost a lot of momentum and started to feel drained. It took all I had to push myself to the campground. The last 2 miles were sandy, like walking on the beach. With a pack on your back and 8 miles behind you, it sucks the life out of you.

Scenery along the trail to the campground

As we rounded a corner and headed down a hill there it was, Havasu falls. I stopped and looked at it and my eyes welled with tears. It was so beautiful, it was just like the pictures and I was standing in front of it. All the hard work that day was so worth what I was looking at.


We took it in for a few minutes and then it was steps to the campground. First we spotted the port-o-pots. Not wanting to be close to that smell we looked around the campground and found ourselves a sweet spot. We were right on the creek under lots of trees. It was perfect. The campground has a natural spring coming from the canyon wall. It was fine to drink and convenient to have nearby.

Our front yard for 3 days

We set up camp and Melanie and I decided we were not going to venture anywhere for the rest of the day. We were done. I was beat. Id never felt fatigue like that. I took a short nap while Greg played on the rope swing. The turquoise water just drew you in. Just looking around our site it just was so awesome. On either side of us huge cliffs rose high into the sky and we were nestled at the bottom. Lots of trees everywhere and the beautiful stream running right through the middle. In the few spots not covered in shade the desert emerged.


We cooked up dinner that night and were in bed by 9. I got so much sleep that night it was fabulous. I was so ready for a day at the falls. We were in between the 2 best falls there. Havasu and Mooney. We didn't know much about Mooney so we thought wed go there first.

As soon as I woke on Sunday I knew my muscles were mad. I was sore, really sore. My legs were in pain. If this is how I feel coming down hill, what in the world was it going to feel like going up hill? Well, I had a full day in between so I wanted to enjoy it.

We strolled over to Mooney falls and it was also breath taking. Higher that Havasu and just as blue. We continued on the trail and soon realized this was no ordinary trail. It went through the hill twice and then almost straight down. There were chains and pegs placed to help you get down. Near the end were 2 ladders. It was nutty and scary and beautiful. Once we hit bottom we just stood and took it in.

Mooney Falls

Trail through the hillside

The descent via chains and ladders

We walked through the water to check out the other side. The water was so cold, so so cold. The scenery just kept getting better. This place does not disappoint. Brian and Greg swung on another rope swing into the water and we decided to take a short hike down stream, through the stream. We could have spent the day here but we wanted to see the other falls too. So after a few hours we headed out.




The hike up the side of the cliff was a lot easier than going down and we were on our way to have lunch at the campsite.

Now we were off to see Havasu Falls, the famous falls. It was so close to the campground it was amazing. There were a lot more people here. We crossed over to the other side to the sunny side so we would be more inclined to jump in. It was cold and hard to make myself just go in. Eventually Brian just tackled me in and I popped out yelling. Whoa that is cold water. I tried to swim towards the falls but as you got closer it really took your breath away. I was happy just to swimming in this water, man it was amazing.

Look, I did go swimming

That night Melanie started to freak out about the hike out. We had been pretty negative about the hike and now it was 12 hours away. I really had to get positive for her and for me. I was scared too but we had to do it. Yes, there are other options. You can load your stuff on a horse and walk out, or you can helicopter out. The horse was never an option, I will not use an animal to do work I know I am capable of. It was disappointing to see how many people used this option. So many campers were there with coolers and lanterns and huge tents. They had no plans to carry anything in or out of that canyon. We were really pleased with ourselves for having carried it all in and about to carry it all out.

Monday morning we rose at 4 am. We wanted to be on the trail at 5 to try to beat the heat. I slept badly again, worrying most of night about my ability to do this. 10 miles is long even without a pack. I was about to walk 10 miles with a 30 pound pack mostly uphill.

We got started at 5:30 am. We started slow, having to work out all the kinks and pains. When we got into the Supai village Melanie and I did a little celebration dance. We decided every 2 miles we would celebrate that we were that much closer. This was great motivation. We kept great pace and were really doing well on time. By mile 7 I started to lose steam. I fell behind Melanie and thought if I don't stop soon I might fall down. We knew the guys were waiting at mile 8 for us but we just didn't make it. We stopped and sat and had some lunch. It was just what I needed to push forward.

We realized if we walked a little more we would have found our husbands. Oh well. We stood at mile 8. This was it, only 2 miles to go and we would be at the car. Well what stood between us and the car was a cliff 1,000 ft + up. Crap crap crap. Feeling very fatigued I pushed on. As we started our ascent my pace slowed to a shuffle. I was not far behind Melanie but as I stopped to rest she maintained her groove and I was soon left behind.

I was alright with this since now no one was waiting on me and I could go my own pace. Slowly I went up and up. Multiple times I envisioned myself cresting the top and seeing Brian's face and tears would well up. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I was so proud of myself, proving to myself that I was physically able to do this. I was close to the top and I saw Brian. He had waited for me to cross the finish line. My heart leaped. I hadn't seen much of him that day and it was so nice to see his smiling face. We walked together to the top and it was so so wonderful.

We were so proud, this was a trip of a lifetime. Most of us had never done anything as physically challenging as this. I wanted to cry, to ball, for so many reasons. I was in pain, I was happy, I was proud and I could see the car.

We were dirty and smelly and so ready to get home and get some Red Robin in our bellies.

Did I love backpacking? No, but I did like it and the idea of taking all I need on my back. I like the idea of getting to places where you cant drive and many people wont venture. I have many aches and pains. I have bruised clavicles and bruised hips and my calves wont work right now. I am so glad we did it and if I go again I will do it the same way. It was no Everest but I did something that pushed me harder than anything in my life and I did it. I will be smiling for a long time.

P.S. The pictures in no way do this place justice!

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Brian's Perspective:

Nina and I learned about Havasu Falls a few years ago. Nina showed me a picture that was in a magazine. When I saw it, I had the same impression that most people have. "That can't be real. That picture has to be Photoshopped." But as we read more about it, we learned that it really does look like that. It is often listed as one of the 10 best hikes in the world, and the falls are often referred to as the Jewel of the Grand Canyon. There are actually 4 falls. Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls. (The photos in those links are from Google, not me) Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls are by far the most spectacular. Havasu Falls is about 100 feet tall, and Mooney Falls is about 200 feet tall. The whole area is generically referred to as Havasu Falls. After learning all about it, we decided that we must see this place.

Havasu Falls is on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, near the village of Supai. The Havasupai Indians have lived there for centuries. They have gained some modern conveniences over the years, but they still live in seclusion. They live mostly off the their land, and whatever else they need is brought in by horse or helicopter.

After becoming friends with Melanie and Greg, they started to teach us about backpacking. They helped us pick out the right gear. It turned out that they had always wanted to go to Havasu Falls too, but they hadn't done it yet. So it was set. We would go together. Finally, this dream might become a reality.

There are two ways to get there. You can hike, or you can take a helicopter. Taking a helicopter was out of the question. It's expensive, and we would like to think that we aren't that weak. If you decide to hike, then you have two more options. You can have your gear carried down by horses, or you can carry it yourself. Again, the horses were out of the question. We can do this all ourselves! It is an 8 mile hike from the trail head to the village. Then it's another 2 miles to the campground. So for those of you with poor math skills, that adds up to 10 miles. The longest hike we had ever done before this was 8 miles, and we didn't have 30 pound packs on our back when we did that, so you can imagine that we were a little scared.

It turned out that we did just fine. It was a tiring hike, but we did it. The trail follows a canyon that is very scenic. That alone would be worth taking a trip to see. However, that canyon could not compare to the falls. As we rounded a corner on the trail just before reaching the campground, we saw it. Havasu Falls. It was by far the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. If I wasn't such a tough guy, I would have cried. The fact that we had just hiked 10 miles to get there made it even better. I like to think that the people who use the horses and the helicopter don't get the same satisfaction that we got.

Here's how you get your pack down if you are a pussy.

This is the view of Havasu Falls from the trail.

We spent the next day and a half exploring the area. We spent half of Sunday at Mooney Falls. This waterfall is twice as tall as Havasu Falls, and you have to climb down the most ridiculous trail to get to it. It really can't even be called a trail. It is basically straight down. You have to pass through some man made caves, climb down ladders, and hold on to steel pegs and steel chains. For these reasons, I think I like Mooney Falls better. After spending some time at Mooney Falls, we spent the rest of the day at Havasu Falls. We swam, jumped off of rocks, swung from rope swings, and just took in the ridiculous scenery. The falls create a really cool mist. The water has a high lime content, so it makes the water turn emerald blue. The lime also causes the leaves and sticks that land in the water to slowly turn to travertine. The cliffs are dark red, and they look like flowing lava. These features combine to create scenery that has to be seen in person to truly believe.

A steel eye hook to hold on to and a little arrow to tell you which way to Mooney Falls.

A raven enjoying the mist.

Nina hiding behind the crazy fomations of the cliffs.
Mooney Falls.
Mooney Falls again.

The mist.

After spending a day and a half there, it was time to go. We did not want to leave because we knew it might be a long time before we ever make it back. Also, we knew we were facing another 10 mile hike. Only this time it would be up hill.

I have to say, the hike out was not that bad. I think we were used to our packs at that point, and we were determined to make it out before it got too hot. Everyone did great. We pushed ourselves, and we made it out before noon. Nina and I were so proud of ourselves. We did it. We achieved our dream of seeing Havasu Falls. At the same time, we realized that we could hike 10 miles with 30 pounds on our backs. It was a great feeling. Now it was time to get back to civilization and eat some real food.