Since it has been a while, this is going to be a long one…
I couldn’t believe I was going to Arizona AGAIN. It was time for our yearly summer adventure, and somehow my wife and I were going back to a state that I felt I knew just as well as my home state. You name an activity in Arizona - exploring Phoenix and Scottsdale, hiking all over Sedona, visiting the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Saguaro National Park - we likely did it. Arizona was one of those places I could confidently scratch off my travel map knowing we did a pretty thorough job exploring it. That was until a friend of ours proposed a trip to one of her bucket list destinations, Havasu Falls.
For those that have never heard of it, Havasu Falls is one of several waterfalls along Havasu Creek, located in the Grand Canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The trip is best known for 3 waterfalls: Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls (5 miles round trip from the campsite), and the beautiful blue-green water that flows through them. To earn yourself a trip, not only do you have to go through the insane process of securing a permit, but you also have to hike just over 10 miles (one way) to get to the campsite with 20-30 pounds of gear on your back. You do have the option to pay to have your pack brought in and out on mules, but we opted for the hard way.
The night before we stayed at one of the closest hotels to the trail head, woke up at 2:30 AM, drove an hour and a half to the trail head, managed to avoid hitting several deer, and began our hike just before 5:00 AM. The hike in was everything you would expect a hike into the Grand Canyon at sunrise to be; I was awestruck by the colors as the sun started to rise, and by the canyon walls that grew taller as we hiked further in. After 5 hours of a relatively pleasant hike, we were finally able to make it to the campsite. I will go into the details of the next 3 days in part 2 of this post, but the one thing I have to say is this. You can look at as many pictures as you want, but absolutely nothing can capture the beauty found here. Nothing will come close. It is the paradise oasis I see in my dreams, and the serenity I never thought possible to find. For anyone even remotely able to take this trip, do it. If I haven’t convinced you yet, stay tuned for part 2.
Havasu Falls Money Shot. The contrast between the water and red rock cliffs never got old.