Havasupai Falls Hike -2011
Most avid hikers have put hiking Havasupai Falls in Supai Village on their bucket lists. I hiked down to these Falls in 2011, and had planned to hike this magical paradise again in 2020 with three friends, however our reservations were canceled two weeks prior to our departure date due to Covid. I thought I would document my experience in 2011 so I can compare it to my experience in 2021 or 2022, or whenever Supai Village opens up again.
I planned the 2011 trip with my Aunt Karen, who lives in Denver, CO and is about 10 years older than me. She was and still is an active hiker and was one of the few people I knew at the time that had heard about Havasupai Falls and was up for an adventure. I was able to get a reservation at the Lodge after calling on my second attempt ( unlike in later years where many called over 100 times before anyone answered the phone). The rate at that time was $140 per night per room which was significantly cheaper than today’s rate of $660 a night with a required three night minimum stay.
We decided to stay for two nights as we had read about other lesser known waterfalls in the area that we wanted to explore while we were there.
We made the four hour drive from Glendale, AZ to Seligman and stayed one night at the Historic Route 66 Motel which provided clean accommodations. We also frequented a couple dive bars in this historic town, and enjoyed several draft beers and watched NFL football with the locals.
We arrived at the Trailhead the following day around mid morning and made the eight mile hike down to Havasupai Lodge. The hike down was relatively easy and the scenery was spectacular but we found the last mile or so a little difficult hiking through thick sand.
The Supai woman at the Lodge was not very friendly when we arrived but we were too tired to care. We found the lodge to be very clean and decided to rest for an hour before we hiked the two miles to Havasupai Falls.
Locals delivering supplies to Supai Village
Me standing in front of Havasupai Falls
The Falls were more beautiful than advertised and we stayed there for about an hour swimming and talking to other hikers. We then hiked back to the Lodge and played cards with others staying at the Lodge. One of the best parts of the trip was meeting so many other fellow hikers, as many were college students from Northern Arizona University.
Little Navajo Falls
We hiked back to Havasupai Falls the next day and also explored Little Navajo Falls. We were in heaven as we spent the day swimming and hiking throughout the village.
We again played cards with fellow hikers that evening and got up early to hike back the following day to the Trailhead.
The hike back was not difficult until the last couple miles which are pretty much straight up. However, if you are an avid hiker and rest often, you will have little trouble with the hike out.
We made the eight mile hike back !
We were pretty exhausted after hiking back up to the Trailhead. We then drove an hour back to Seligman to enjoy a huge breakfast at Westside Lo Lo’s.
I plan to update this blog after my next Havasupai Falls Hike and am hoping my next experience will be as magical as my first!
