When my good friend invited me to hike Havasu Falls, my first response was, “What’s that?” My second response was “Absolutely!” I am usually up for an adventure and it doesn’t take much to convince me. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen as we are knee deep in the process of opening a brand new business; however, I made it happen. So I wanted to share my experience as I know a LOT of people have told me that this a bucket list trip for them and there are a TON of questions. So here are some tips from me, your average hiker, above average fitness level, nearly middle aged, and adventurous spirit!
Join the Facebook Groups
We were told very early on that there are a ton of resources for people who have reservations or those who are trying to get reservations. The facebook groups offered a lot of amazing insight, helpful tips, and helped ease some anxiety about the uncertainty of the whole thing. There are SEVERAL facebook groups that you can join. I have included a photo of just the handful of groups that I joined and they all had some useful information even though some of it was redundant.
2. Pack the Appropriate Gear
We arrived at the tail end of August and it was HOT!!! Keep in mind, this list that I am providing is not all-encompassing. In joining the facebook groups, I learned one thing in particular: that what’s important to some, is not important to others. There are some things that I wouldn’t skip and others that I could deal without. You have to make that choice for yourself. What I will say is that while the temps during the day were well over 100, the evenings were generally cooler and tolerable, especially if you jumped in the Havasu Creek to cool off at night.
Tent or hammock (I brought a tent; I don’t have a hammock and I don’t know how I would sleep in that). Try to keep it light and as small as you can stand.
Sleeping bag (I did NOT need the sleeping bag in August, a light blanket would have sufficed and it would have saved me space in my pack)
Sleeping pad (you are sleeping on the ground; it’s a luxury but not one that I would skip.)
Headlamp (maybe two) - you are hiking in the dark at some points and you will definitely need this on those late night trips to the bathroom.
Electrolytes - These are more critical in the summer months but I truly believe they saved me and my group. We had a bottle of chewable electrolyte tablets and they made all the difference. In the dry heat, you are losing a tremendous amount of sweat but it evaporates quickly so you might not feel it. Replenish those electrolytes.
Water - Honestly, the way down to Havasu I only drank about 1/2 a liter of water but on the way back up, we went through about 12 liters between the three of us and we were bone dry by the time we got back to the car. You will need a lot of water so plan to have plenty of space in your pack for it.
Hiking poles - I never thought these things were useful until I did the Rim to Rim hike at the Grand Canyon. This takes a ton of work away from your legs and it’s really helpful on the longer hikes where there’s some elevation change. They really do make a difference.
Food - while you can order fry bread at the village, don’t depend on that for food. We were there three times and the restaurant was only open one of those times. I do recommend trying the fry bread though. It’s an experience. We planned for 3 freeze dried meals a day and then some calorie dense snacks. We bought 2 bags of pita bread and squeeze bottle of peanut butter and nutella. That was amazing and such a treat when working so hard for three days. Consider you are going to burn at least an additional 1000-2000 calories per day (depending on your size) and pack your meals accordingly. We ate EVERY morsel of food that we brought and it was nice to fuel some on the way back up the trail.
Comfortable shoes - I bought trail runners for the Grand Canyon and these worked perfectly for this hike. I would not purchase new hiking boots without breaking them in first. There are a lot of really great trail running shoes that do the trick and are a bit lighter than a traditional hiking boot.
Muscle Rub and Moleskin - I brought the muscle rub as an afterthought but it was the popular item that weekend. We all used it to relieve our sore muscles after so much hiking and carrying our heavy packs. The moleskin is an absolute must! You will more than likely get blisters even if you take all the precautions. There’s a lot of sand and taking off and putting back on your shoes and this can cause hot spots that just don’t go away. I actually scraped my barefoot on a piece of concrete so while I didn’t get any blisters, the scrapes bothered me in my shoes and the moleskin was a lifesaver. We had heard from others that superglue is another alternative to moleskin. Along these lines, make sure to bring some advil or tylenol just in case.
Solar charger - I bought a solar charger on Amazon and it was great. We could all charge our phones, watches, etc and it recharges sitting in the sun. Great purchase and highly recommend.
Cooling towel or buff - On our last hike out, I soaked my buff in the cool waters of the Havasu Falls and it was so nice to have on the way back up the hill. The heat can be incredibly oppressive and some of these small things help with that.
Pocket Knife - always good to have for protection and for a variety of other reasons. We never needed it for protection but it was great for cutting moleskin, paracord, etc.
Lighter - We brought this for our camp stove but we also found a citronella candle that someone left behind that was really cool.
Rat Sack - while we didn’t have any trouble with creatures, it was good to have a rat sack to put ALL your food and waste. Included was a smell proof ziploc bag that we were able to put our opened food into. Very helpful. We know some people had trouble with mice but we kept all food in the rat sack and had no problems.
Camelback - I didn’t bring one of these but someone in my group did and it was very helpful when making sure to drink enough water. I only had 2 water bottles and it was incredibly cumbersome to grab them out of my pack. It would have been great just to have a straw I could pull out to suck on every couple minutes.
3. Acclimate yourself to the physical demands of the trip
If you can, use the stairclimber, walk on a steep incline on the treadmill, or take the stairs. I did intervals on the stairclimber - one minute hard work, one minute of recovery - to train for Havasu. I only had about a month to prepare but that was plenty. I was able to fully condition myself to the demands of the trip and while I was incredibly sore after the long hikes, I felt completely confident that I was able to accomplish the trip.
4. Hydrate very well 24-48 hours prior to the hike
Not only is hydration important during the hike, it’s really important to pre-hydrate. Drink, drink, and then drink some more about 1-2 days before you leave. You will thank me later!
5. Prepare but expect the unexpected
We thought we covered all of our bases but there were still some things we didn’t expect.
The hike from the parking lot is anywhere from 9-11 miles depending on the cut throughs you use or the campsite you choose.
When you get to the village, you ARE NOT almost there. Some people will tell you as they pass, “you made it”. Do not be fooled, you still have over 2 miles until you are at your campsite. We were exhausted when we got to the village and were really surprised how much longer we had.
You will have to encounter some scary wildlife. We saw 2 rattlesnakes and a scorpion on our hike back out. Some of our neighbors encountered a ram as well. There’s wildlife but you aren’t in imminent danger. Keep your eyes open.
The village is quite a hike from the campsites. Don’t plan on spending a lot of time there or taking “quick trips” to the village. It’s a decent hike and the restaurant doesn’t have regular hours.
The Supai are incredibly friendly people. They truly enjoy having the guests and they made us feel so welcome. They have an incredible history if you ever want to look into it.
We consolidated most of our trash to one gallon sized ziploc bag. Make sure you pack your trash out. It’s very difficult for the Supai to get trash out of the village (and I’m sure costly). Respect their home and leave no trace.
The hike to Beaver Falls and the Confluence is NOT well marked. We did the hike to Beaver Falls and got a little nervous as the sun was setting because we don’t have a great sense of direction. We ended up finding our way back but it was challenging. Make sure you give yourself PLENTY of time if you are doing this hike.
I wish I could add more about the mules, helicopter rides, and such but we didn’t participate in any of that. It was an awesome challenge to not only hike the whole way but pack EVERYTHING we needed right on our backs. It was part of the allure of the trip. I can certainly empathize with someone wanting to take a helicopter out of the canyon but it was never in the cards for me.
Bottom line, if it’s not on your bucket list, it should be. It’s one of the most amazing places I have been and I hope to someday return.