Hiking the Waterfalls of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

"The prevailing colors are wonderfully deep and clear, changing and blending with varying intensity from hour to hour, day to day, season to season, throbbing, wavering, glowing, responding to every passing cloud or storm, a world of color in itself, now burning in separate rainbow bars ... uniting the rocky world with the heavens." These words were written by the world renowned naturalist John Muir, describing the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

It was because of John Muir's description of the Grand Canyon and the many beautiful pictures of Havasu Falls, one of the most photographed waterfalls in the canyon, that my husband and I planned the hike of a lifetime. We wanted to see some of the waterfalls of the Grand Canyon up close and personal, and those of you familiar with these waterfalls know that just about the only way to achieve this is to hike in.

The trail-head into some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world begins at Hualapai Hilltop. There is a parking lot in which there is a security guard to keep the cars safe at night. From here the hike into the village of Supai is 8 miles. It is a moderate hike, with the most difficult part being the first mile, in which there are between 10 - 12 switch - backs. The thing to remember here is, this hardest part will be at the end of the hike on the way back.

It is a good idea to leave as early after first light as possible, for though the hike takes between 4 - 6 hours, you don't want to be hiking in the middle of the day. That is when it is most hot, and dehydration can set in if you're not careful. We always carry plenty of water in our backpacks and I always carry one in my hand. I tend to be a mouth - breather, especially when hiking, which tends to make me need a little more water than others.

The scenery is so awe - inspiring, that you will find time passes by rather quickly. Before I knew it, I could hear the sound of water rushing, so I knew that we were nearing the village. Sure enough, we soon saw the water, and followed it in. It was definitely a sight to behold. I was ready for a rest.

We had made reservations at the lodge, but many of the hikers that left when we did still had two miles to go before they could set up camp, and relax.

The next day we had planned to hike to Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls, and do some swimming. Over the years we had traveled to several different waterfalls, but this was the first time ever that we could actually get into the water with them, and I wasn't disappointed. I felt like a kid again swimming near the falls, trying to push my husband in.

All in all, it was a wonderful hike and we had the time of our lives. I would highly recommend it to anyone who would like a slightly different type of vacation. For those considering a hike of this kind, here are some statistics that you would need to be aware of:

Distance:

It is 8 miles from the trail - head to Supai, and then it is two more miles to the campground.

Cost:

An entrance permit fee of $35.00 per person is required of all overnight visitors. Those camping will pay this fee at the Camping Office. Those staying at the Lodge will pay at the Lodge when they check in.

Camping is $17.00 per person, per night, with an Environmental Care Fee of $5.00 per person. This $5.00 is refundable of you carry out a bag of trash. At first I thought this fee was a bit extreme, but then I realized, if a person doesn't carry out their own trash, someone else has to be paid to do it. So it is really quite fair.

The cost for staying at the Lodge is $145.00 per night, for up to 4 people; with a room deposit of $40.00. The entrance fee will be paid also, at the time of check - in. Though there is no TV or telephones at the Lodge, it sure is nice to crawl into a nice clean bed in an air conditioned room after a long day of hiking.

The Waterfalls:

There are 4 waterfalls to be seen in this area, and can all be seen in one day's hike. From the village of Supai, the first waterfall that you come to is New Navajo Falls. It is 1 mile from the village. The next waterfall is a quarter mile downstream, and is called Rock Falls. Both of these waterfalls were formed after the flood in 2008. Havasu Falls is one - half mile from Rock Falls, and plan to spend a little time here. Not only is it beautiful, but it is really a lot of fun swimming in the 70˚ water. It is really nice to just sit back on a rock or something, and soak in all that beauty. One mile past Havasu Falls is Mooney Falls, and can be seen just past the campground. We didn't hike down to the water at Mooney Falls because, though the going down was a bit precarious; the climb back up would have really tired us out, and we were hiking out of the canyon early the next morning.

Though we were only in the canyon for a couple of days, it was one of our more enjoyable hikes. We were both so glad that we went, and got a first hand look at some of the waterfalls in the Grand Canyon.

After our hike, tired though we were, it was easy for us to understand why Mr. Muir described the Grand Canyon as "The grandest of God's terrestrial cities."

Resources:

Muir, John; "Steep Trails," Chapter 24

National Geographic Society - "America's Majestic Canyons" pg. 71 by Thomas O'Neill

www.havasupaitribe.com/index.html