Havasupai Falls is a paradise of turquoise colored streams and falls nestled away in the western portion of Arizona’s Grand Canyon. The water of Havasupai gets it’s otherworldly color from lime deposits. Starting at the 5100ft trailhead of Hualapai Hilltop, visitors hike down into the Canyon to reach the village of Supai. The Havasupai people, related to the Yuman, were the first humans to inhabit the Grand Canyon, and are known as the traditional guardians. Permits to hike and backpack to Havasupai Falls can be near impossible to come by. This is due to the limits imposed to protect the very fragile nature of the environment. I just returned from a backpacking trip to Havasupai Falls and am excited to share 20 photos that will make you want to add this trip to your bucket list!
1.) Starting Out At Hualapai Hilltop
2.) Entering The Grand Canyon
3.) Passing Through Millions Of Years In Each Sedimentary Layer
4.) This Hike Descends 1000ft In The First Mile
5.) Showing Our 5-Month Old The Beauties Of The Southwest
6.) We Missed A Storm That Passed Through The Previous Day
7.) Getting Deeper Into The Canyon
8.) The Man In Black
9.) Mules And Horses Deliver Goods Between Hilltop And Supai
10.) Cacti And Canyon Walls
11.) Following The Wash Towards Supai
12.) Tree Of Life
13.) Entering Supai
14.) Just Before The Campground
15.) Havasu Falls From Above
16.) Feeling The Spray
17.) Lime Causes The Bright Blue Water
18.) Finding A Campsite Along The Stream
19.) The Treacherous Climb Down To Mooney Falls
20.) The Majestic Mooney Falls
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Drew, I was so excited to see this post. The hike to Havasupai Falls is in my top 5 favourite hikes. We did it with our son about 8 years ago and we all still rave about it. The turquoise water against the sandstone is unbelievable. I remember that perilous climb down to Mooney Falls…our son, then about 11, was being goofy and I was so worried he was going to do something stupid. Nice to see you have the little one along. At least he’s safely tucked away. Thanks for the great memories. I’d love to go again. Is November a good time? We were there in March.
Very cool to hear that you were able to do this with your son 8 years ago! I can imagine the anxiety of watching your son head down that climb to Mooney Falls! I did that portion solo while Julia and Owen stayed at the top 🙂 November was a great time to go. It was a little chilly at night (~35F), but that kept the crowds to a minimum. We were actually surprised how few people were visiting despite all of the permits being issued. I think a lot of people paid for permits months ago, and then opted not to go with the cold weather.
These photos are amazing. I can’t wait to get back that way again.
Thanks!
Drew,
Thanks for sharing your photos from your hike to Havasupai Falls, it’s been on my bucket list for some time now.
Thanks for reading. Havasupai is a tough bucket list item due to the permit situation. This was the first year that they opened up permit applications online. They sold out almost instantly for the year. I was lucky to snag another permit for November, but was hoping to get something in the warmer months.