Great Hikes: Havasu Falls
Often described as the utopia of the desert, this Grand Canyon oasis will captivate you from the start, where the trailhead looks out over the steep cliffs and dramatic red rock formations of th Hualapai Canyon. An eight-mile descent delivers you to the dusty Havasupai village of Supai, where a basic general store offers basic provisions and relief from the sun. Havasupai means "people of the blue-green waters," and the tribe considers the creek's water to be sacred.
Continue one more mile to find 120-foot-tall Havasu Falls, the first and most famous of five waterfalls (in addition to Upper Navajo, Lower Navajo, Mooney and Beaver) with incredible blue-green pools created by water crashing over limestone cliffs. The water temperature here hovers around 70 degrees year-round, so a dip is irresistible whether you visit in July or January.
Distance: 24 miles round-trip
Elevation Change: Approx. 2,400 feet
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Duration: Multiple days
Best Time to Go: May through October (but beware of flash flood alerts)
How to get there: The waterfalls are located within Havasu Canyon, a large tributary of the Colorado River that is not accessible by road. The trail begins at Hualapai Hilltop. To get there, you can fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix and rent a car. For specific driving directions, visit the Havasupi tribe's website.
To find out more about this hike, visit the National Park Service website.
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