This has been on my radar for quite some time now. And finally, thanks to the perfect company (who else?!), we have decided to do this hike during the thanksgiving holidays. Havasu Falls is located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, in a remote canyon offshoot of the Grand Canyon. Havasu falls does not belong to the US National park service, it is managed by the Havasupai tribe. The hike to Havasu falls is about 10 miles one way in the Grand canyon region.
Though there are Helicopters and Mules to aid people to reach the falls, we have decided to hike down the trail. After all the hike seems like the main highlight of the trip and we did not want to miss it. There are a total of three waterfalls (Havasu, Mooney and Beaver) in the village, all of them being completely turquoise (google for images till I bring back some pictures! ha!). Being a huge admirer of waterfalls, I decided 'Havasu trail' against the more famous 'Bright Angel trail' at Grand Canyon national park and had to almost force Kavitha into this. But I have promised her that we'll do the 'Bright Angel' hike soon in the future.
We have booked flights to Phoenix and a hotel for that night at Flagstaff. The next day, our plan is to drive to Hualapai hilltop and then hike down to the village. Since we want to experience the nature in a way that we haven't done before, we've decided to camp for the night at the tribal village. We'll try to visit Havasu Falls (about 1.5 miles from the campground) that evening and come back to the camp for the night. Plan for the next morning is to visit Mooney and Beaver Falls (about a 3 mile hike) and spend a few hours there. By afternoon, we should be on our return hike to Hualapai hilltop (we have the option of taking the Helicopter on our way back in case we become tired).
Itinerary for the next 2 days is open at this stage, though I have two books on Arizona sight-seeing from the local library lying on my bed-side table and a google window almost always open. Red rock jeep tours, Apache trail, Grand canyon (north rim), other National parks or a rodeo show look like potential candidates, but we are yet to finalize our plans.
And this is gonna be my first 5-day backpacking trip! Packing clothes, tents, sleeping bag and my camera equipment into one hiking backpack seems like a challenge to begin with. But I'm sure the whole trip will be a fun-filled experience in itself. I'm so looking forward to it!
