Consider this another of our post barrage on our time in Havasupai Reservation in the Grand Canyon both hiking and exploring the insanely beautiful waterfalls. Since each of these waterfalls could stand on its own as a destination we decide to break up the posts for each one, this one focuses on Havasu Falls, but you can read about Mooney Falls here and Navajo Falls here. To answer your question before you ask, yes the water is really that blue.
Havasu Falls is located at the top of the campground, 10 miles from the trailhead at the top of the Grand Canyon Ridge. You cannot do a day hike here so you must get reservations, either at the campground or at the lodge, in order to be able to see it. This is super welcomed for me as the waterfall had a lot less people at it, due to the hike in and the reservation system which meant less trash and less abuse of the area since the only people that make the trek are the ones that really want to be there.
As you approach the falls you will be hiking in from the top and will not know it is coming till it is literally in front of you. The signs of this are the “danger, don’t get close to the edge” signs that let you know a drop is in store. You can walk really close to the top of the falls but obviously be careful as it is not recommended.
Taking the trail down to the left will give you your first glimpse of Havasu Falls and if you are like me, your jaw will drop. This waterfall has earned a spot on many top ten best waterfall lists and you can quickly see why. The water drops about 75 feet into a lush and deep, blue water pool. From there it cascades over rocks to create a natural lounge area for floating before creating two smaller 5-7 foot waterfalls, each with their own pools below for swimming as well.
As you descend you will continue to get amazing views of the falls before seeing a small trail that goes off to the right and drops you at the base of the falls where there are picnic benches for eating and plenty of space to spread out. We spent half of a day here taking in the views, swimming in the water, and just generally loving the insane beauty of this area. Of the three waterfalls, this is the best for spending time and relaxing at.
There is also some pretty impressive cliff jumping near the waterfall that lots of people were doing. Zac tried his hand at a 25 foot jump and you can see the video below. The hardest part is having to scale the side of the rock wall to get to an area where you can jump. It’s hard to pick which of these falls are the best but the time we spent relaxing at Havasu Falls was pretty amazing and something you have to add to your bucket list.
