Havasu Falls, AZ Short Family Trip
We traveled April 14-17, 2008 to Havasu Falls in Northern Arizona.
Day
1 Getting there: We drove from Flagstaff to Seligman then almost
to Peach Springs where we picked up the road to the Hualapai Hilltop. The
trip took about 3 hours all on paved roads. Parking at the hilltop was tight-the
parking lots were full, so cars were parked along the road.
We made reservations for one riding horse ($75, 250 lbs max) and one pack
horse ($70, 130 lbs max, duffle bags encouraged) to take me and our stuff
down. Coming up we asked for three riding horses and one pack horse. They
lost the reservations (you need to get a confirmation in the mail and bring
it with you). Conveniently they did not lose the reservations we had to stay
at the lodge ($145/night, 1-4 people).
Our group consisted of 2 senior citizens and 1 adult child (her spouse had
to work). Our daughter was in good condition since she and her husband hike
and camp a lot. My husband was in ok condition from daily 20-minute walks.
I qualified as a healthy almost-couch potato, having occasionally used my
treadmill during the snowy winter. If I took my time, I figured I could walk
6 miles in a day.
My husband and daughter walked the 8 miles down to the village. It was warm,
dry and dusty, but quite doable with lots of water, light packs and being
somewhat in shape (don’t forget the hats and sunscreen). Trip took a little
over 4 hours. Leaving earlier in the morning would have been better.
Conveniently, when it was discovered that my horse reservations were lost,
the helicopter (Air West) was still running. I hustled over there and caught
it. The baggage / horse coordinator at the hilltop made sure our duffle bag
made it to the lodge.
We brought a number of snacks with us: bars and cheese. The cafe had very
limited fare: continental breakfast, lunch/dinner Indian tacos. The store
had a fair selection and a microwave. On occasion one of the village ladies
makes excellent take-out dinners. So we got a nice steak dinner for $10/person.
Day
2: Seeing the falls: We got up, dressed, ate some snacks and left
for the falls at 6:30. We reached Havasu Falls at 9am (2 miles from the village).
Got some great pictures and decided to swim on the way back. We continued
on through the campground and on to Mooney Falls (1 mile farther), arriving
around 10am. My husband and I remained above the falls and our daughter braved
the ladders and steep trail with chain handholds to go to the bottom of the
falls (not for the faint of heart or the tired). My husband noticed he was
very sore, so my daughter gave him some ibuprofen.
We
brought lots of water and snacks. We ate then headed back through the campground
to Havasu Falls. Some of the campers had elegant tents, fancy stoves and solar
showers. The campground provided fresh drinking water, portable toilets (picked
up and delivered by helicopter) and some picnic tables.
The falls were especially beautiful this year because Arizona receive abundant
snow and rain. The water temperature is about 70 degrees F year round and
a lovely blue-green from dissolved limestone. You need some type of water
shoes because the travertine deposits are lovely to look at but rough on feet.
When you’re hot, 70 degrees sounds refreshing, but it’s really pretty cold.
That last mile back to the village was very slow, us senior citizens were
pooped. We made it back to the village around 2:30 and enjoyed a six-pack
of cold Coke and some Indian Tacos.
Day 3: Just took it easy: We had breakfast at the café—oatmeal,
bagels, coffee, milk and juice. We got books from the small lending library
at the lodge. The rooms have two queen beds, air conditioning and a private
bath with a tub/shower combination. There is no refrigerator, microwave or
phone; there is phone service in the village, but cell phones don’t work on
the hilltop or in the village. We were hoping the village lady would prepare
another dinner, but no such luck. The café ran out of both beans and meat
for the Indian tacos, so we supplemented with lunchmeat, and cheese and bean
burritos from the store.
We talked to some folks that had come in by helicopter from Tusayan (Grand
Canyon airport–Papillon). They flew in in the morning, and then flew out in
the afternoon. Some had horses to take them as far as Havasu Falls. These
in shape or on horseback had enough time to also see Mooney Falls and get
back.
Day
4: My husband got up early to take sunrise pictures. We packed up,
purchased cereal and milk at the store and waited for our turn to take the
helicopter out ($85 /person and $20 for the duffle bag). A 10 minute trip
looked more attractive than 3 hours on horseback.
Since we were visiting in the Hualapai home, we greeted everyone and tried
to be as unobtrusive as possible. Most of the folks were friendly and helpful.