Hiking to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon

 

 

Getting To Havasupai

The Havasu 'Baaja, or "people of the blue green water", live primarily in Supai, a remote village oasis nestled deep in the Grand Canyon alongside Havasu Creek. The 185,000 acre reservation lies west of the popular South Rim of the Grand Canyon and north of the old Route 66. We arrived a couple of days early for a kayaking trip down the Colorado River and our outfitter, Izzy, of Desert Adventures of Boulder City, Nevada, recommended this as one of her three favorite hikes of all time. She was right!

We called and made reservations for the Havasupai Lodge since they couldn't give us a reservation for the campground at such late notice. The room was $145 but it ended up being a wonderful luxury to shower and sleep in a bed after the 16 miles of desert hiking and climbing we endured the next day. We filled up all the empty Coke and Gatorade bottles we had and gassed up the car on Route 66 before heading to the trailhead at Hualapai Hilltop. The map warns that there are no services for 68 miles but for us it was more like 80 miles since we came from the Nevada side. We entered the reservation from Route 66 and drove 60 miles through unpopulated rolling hills, watching the trees get smaller and vanish into desert as we drove closer to the Grand Canyon. Watch out for cows crossing the road since much of the drive is through free range country.

 

 

 

 

Hualapai Hilltop

Eventually we arrived at Hualapai Hilltop, the trailhead to Supai which also serves as the helicopter pad and mule train assembly point. The only way to get the 8 miles and 2000 feet of elevation down to Supai is by foot, horseback or helicopter. There is a $35 entrance fee but we didn't pay that until we got to Supai. Horses were $120 round trip. Airwest Helicopters of Arizona are contractors for the helicopter transport and we never saw prices so it must be expensive. "If you have to ask you can't afford it."

The Hilltop was a surprisingly busy place after feeling so remote for hours. The heat hit us with a force as we parked on the side of the road and opened the car doors. Hikers were loading packs, horses and mules were snuffing and snorting and the helicopter came and went below us.

 

The Switchbacks

The eight miles to Supai Village began with steep switchbacks carved into the canyon walls. I know the horses are surefooted but the thought of being on horseback in these high narrow places was alarming. Several riders with terrified expressions confirmed my suspicions, although it was probably safer to ride the horses who were accustomed to the trail.

The views were spectacular and we marveled at how the lizards and birds had adapted to such a harsh environment. It also became clear that water was precious.

 

 

The Trail

The trail follows a small canyon cut within Hualapai Canyon. It was HOT so take plenty of water and snacks and feel free to stop in the shade often. Mule trains with supplies and horse trains with tourists pass by regularly, often with trail dogs following.

Along with the beautiful canyon walls, cactus, and desert flowers we saw a few mining relics and the skeleton of a horse that died in the canyon. Eventually the small canyon opens up into the spectacular larger Havasu Canyon shortly before you reach Havasu Creek where the desert turns into an amazing oasis.

 

Supai Village

After eight miles of hot, rugged trail we walked into the surreal Supai Village. The setting is visually astounding, a rustic village surrounded on all sides by majestic canyon walls. The atmosphere was strangely peaceful, too. Dogs and horses wandered freely but there was no barking, just a pervasive calm that seems to flow through everything.

We stayed at the Havasupai Lodge because the campground was not accepting reservations when we called. The lodge rooms were sparse but clean and hotel-like with two queen beds and air conditioning. We pressed on another four miles to see the falls so by the time we returned after nightfall we had hiked 16 hard miles and were glad we had a room with a shower and beds.

450 of the 650 enrolled tribal members live in Supai Village and prefer to speak the Havasupai language. The residents run the Lodge, tourism office, cafe and store. They also have a school, church, post office, fire and police offices, and several horse corrals surrounded by homes.

 

The Falls

People had told me about the falls but I could not imagine how bizarre it was to hike through eight miles of desert canyon to arrive at the misty pool of a crashing 200-foot waterfall. Navajo Falls is a series of smaller but beautiful falls near the village. Farther down near the campground is Havasu Falls, large and thundering with a huge pool ideal for cooling off. It is worth noting that this is not a national park with safety signs everywhere you look, so one must use common sense and watch for drop-offs and beware of currents.

Speaking of safety, the climb down to Mooney Falls nearly did me in. I am not a fan of heights and if my son had not chosen to climb down to the pool I would have happily stayed above. Gripping chains bolted into the living rock is easier when one is terrified, so the climb down and back up proved to be uneventful. As my son said, "Kids and people in way worse shape than you are doing this so I know you can." As always, he was right.

 

©Mike Massey. All rights reserved. That said, all images on KayakCam.com may be used freely for non-commercial purposes.