Exploring Hidden Waterfalls in Arizona in the Grand Canyon

Are there really waterfalls in Arizona?

I assure you that there are waterfalls in Arizona. Havasu Falls was an experience that can not be described in words but I’ll try. Havasu Falls is one of many waterfalls in Arizona that make up the Havasupai experience. Each year Havasu Falls sells tickets for the entire year on February 1st at 8 am “Mountain Standard” time. Only 75 people can attempt the 10 to 12-mile trek down to the falls a day. The price is 100-125$ dependent upon the day with a 3-day minimum. They keep this limit for their own reasons and I absolutely loved it. I never felt like a tourist and was never bombarded by people. The entire 2019 year sold out in just a few hours. Let us take a moment to put all those numbers into context.

• 75 people x 365 days a year (no holidays in Havasu) = 27,375 people – That’s all the people that are allowed to attempt this adventure each year from around the WORLD. There are more people at a Yankees baseball game. Havasu Falls draws a very diverse crowd of people at about a 60/40 mix of domestic and international people.

The hike into the falls is intense but you have so much adrenaline and it is mostly downhill. If you are in halfway decent shape and have some will power you will make it. It took me and my buddy just under 4 hours to get to our campsite. We were moving at a fairly decent pace and still, people were passing us. I came across multiple individuals that it took 6-8 hours to do the hike. Be prepared and keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how long it takes as long as you make it. When I first thought about waterfalls in Arizona I never thought about something like Havasu Falls.

Bring Encouragement

Having good music and snacks will make the trip to the falls easier. Pack some snacks and don’t make an excuse that you don’t need them. Also, keep in mind my experience was during March and it was still 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In other months it will be much hotter and you will need more water! Your campsite location is very important. After you return from your daily 10 mile hikes you don’t really want to move much. It got dark around 6 pm and pitch black by 7 pm. Keep this in mind because you will be spending a lot of time at the campsite.

Another tip to keep in mind is to keep a lookout above your campsite. Why you might ask? You want trees for shade during the day but no too many. This is because the stars are absolutely stunning. This night sky is not what you are used to seeing back home. The only place I’ve been that could compare was in Iceland. The stars were mesmerizing and I stared at them for hours each night. Each day you will be hiking anywhere between 2-16 miles. Yes, there is a huge range because it’s all up to you. What do you want to see? What is important to you?

A Bright Light of a Store

The town store is about a 5-mile round trip hike from the middle of the camping area. The store has everything you could want to eat. I know what you are thinking and the answer is yes. You could bring no food at all and buy it all there and reduce weight for the hike. Also, they don’t overcharge on anything which was very nice of them. They were kind and very friendly and had prices very similar to a Publix supermarket.

Use the Donkeys or Carry Your Own Gear

Another interesting note was the number of people who used the donkeys/horses to carry their bags. I thought nobody would be using the donkeys but it was the complete opposite. It was probably an 80/20 split and the 20% were the individuals carrying all their gear. The hike was hard and our backs hurt for days. However, I think that was part of the adventure. Everyone will have their own opinion on this matter 🙂

The Hike Out

Well here comes the part that is going to hurt. The hike out is something I 1000% underestimated. As we started the hike out we both knew it wasn’t going to be fun. I was already aching and so was my buddy. We first stopped by the big table at the very front of the camp and donated half our gear to future campers. There is a donation area where you can leave anything and everything if it can be reused by another camper. This was an amazing idea and very convenient.

It was time to reweighed our gear and the 41lb and 38lb bags were now at 28lbs and 25lbs. We then stopped at the 2 ½ mile marker at the store and enjoyed ice cream and an energy drink before we began the next 9 miles. We still had no idea what we were in for. About a mile later we knew what we were in for and it was a lot of pain. We kept asking each other, was the hike in all downhill? Really, was it? We ended up taking many more stops on the way up and we were both 100% okay with that.

Here Comes The Havasu Falls Beast

Eventually, you get to around the 9-mile mark and you see the “BEAST.” It’s the beginning of the final 2-mile push to the top which is up the side of a mountain. I can assure you that I am not exaggerating this at all. You are on the floor of a portion of the Grand Canyon looking up and you have to hike to the top. I really felt like that mountain was staring at me laughing. There were portions up the mountain where I didn’t know if I could take another step but I did. Now, I want to make it clear that I’m not saying all of this to scare anyone. I just want anyone that is thinking about going to know what they are getting into.

There were people of EVERY SHAPE AND SIZE you could think of enjoying everything Havasu Falls had to offer so don’t let yourself use that as an excuse. Set your goal and YOU CAN DO IT. That Nike slogan never gets old.  😆

http://youtube.com/biggersworld

The above link has videos.

One thing that can be understood by anyone who has completed this trek is this, “When you do finally make it up that mountain and ask yourself was it worth it?” Heckkkkkkkkkkk yes it was****

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