Hike #38--Village of Supai (Grand Canyon)
For our 38th hike, we hiked 8 miles into the Grand Canyon to the village of Supai. The trailhead is about 2 hours from Kingman, Arizona. You have to hike about 1.5 miles on switchbacks down to the canyon floor and then it is 6.5 miles of hiking along the canyon. You have to watch out for mule trains that are carrying the bags of other travelers (for a price). We carried our own packs to the village because we are cool like that. Other people can take a helicopter to the village as well (for more of a price). It took us about 3 hours to hike to the village, where we checked into the lodge there. There is also a campground, but we chose to stay in the lodge where we had beds, hot water, bathrooms, and A/C. It was definitely worth paying a little extra for the room. We stayed two nights at the lodge.
For our 38th hike, we hiked 8 miles into the Grand Canyon to the village of Supai. The trailhead is about 2 hours from Kingman, Arizona. You have to hike about 1.5 miles on switchbacks down to the canyon floor and then it is 6.5 miles of hiking along the canyon. You have to watch out for mule trains that are carrying the bags of other travelers (for a price). We carried our own packs to the village because we are cool like that. Other people can take a helicopter to the village as well (for more of a price). It took us about 3 hours to hike to the village, where we checked into the lodge there. There is also a campground, but we chose to stay in the lodge where we had beds, hot water, bathrooms, and A/C. It was definitely worth paying a little extra for the room. We stayed two nights at the lodge.
Hikes #39 --Havasu Falls
Our last two hikes were to two different waterfalls in the canyon. Havasu Falls (#39) was 2 miles from the lodge. Mooney Falls is 1 mile past Havasu Falls, which makes it 3 miles from the lodge. The hike to Havasu Falls is relatively easy and does not take long to get there (at least if you are rested). You are following the trail to the campground. You get a view from the top of the falls before you descend to the campground. There is a pool at the bottom that you can swim in or just soak your tired feet. One advantage of staying at the campground is that you are a lot closer to the waterfall.
Mooney Falls (#40) follows the same trail as Havasu Falls and the campground. In fact, you walk through the campground to get to Mooney Falls. It is not a difficult hike . . . unless you want to go to the bottom. If you are scared of heights, do not even try to get to the bottom. There are chains and ladders to help you get to the bottom that you must use. Hiking to the bottom is much more difficult than hiking back up. So, if you can make it down, you will be fine. You use the chains to climb down the cliff walls. There are "stairs" carved into the cliff face that help you as well. You also have two tunnels to climb through as well. It is a challenge, but definitely worth it, once you get to the bottom. We hiked to the bottom first thing in the morning and had Mooney Falls to ourselves. It was great, plus, we don't know how you would pass someone on the chains and ladders.
There is another set of waterfalls that you pass on the trail. There are two different waterfalls that make up Navajo Falls. They are beautiful as well. The only falls we did not get were Beaver Falls which are another 3 miles past Mooney Falls. The hike sounded a little too much for us since you have to cross the creek several times and there is a lot more scrambling involved. If you keep going past those falls, you can eventually reach the Colorado River.
Our last two hikes were to two different waterfalls in the canyon. Havasu Falls (#39) was 2 miles from the lodge. Mooney Falls is 1 mile past Havasu Falls, which makes it 3 miles from the lodge. The hike to Havasu Falls is relatively easy and does not take long to get there (at least if you are rested). You are following the trail to the campground. You get a view from the top of the falls before you descend to the campground. There is a pool at the bottom that you can swim in or just soak your tired feet. One advantage of staying at the campground is that you are a lot closer to the waterfall.
Mooney Falls (#40) follows the same trail as Havasu Falls and the campground. In fact, you walk through the campground to get to Mooney Falls. It is not a difficult hike . . . unless you want to go to the bottom. If you are scared of heights, do not even try to get to the bottom. There are chains and ladders to help you get to the bottom that you must use. Hiking to the bottom is much more difficult than hiking back up. So, if you can make it down, you will be fine. You use the chains to climb down the cliff walls. There are "stairs" carved into the cliff face that help you as well. You also have two tunnels to climb through as well. It is a challenge, but definitely worth it, once you get to the bottom. We hiked to the bottom first thing in the morning and had Mooney Falls to ourselves. It was great, plus, we don't know how you would pass someone on the chains and ladders.
There is another set of waterfalls that you pass on the trail. There are two different waterfalls that make up Navajo Falls. They are beautiful as well. The only falls we did not get were Beaver Falls which are another 3 miles past Mooney Falls. The hike sounded a little too much for us since you have to cross the creek several times and there is a lot more scrambling involved. If you keep going past those falls, you can eventually reach the Colorado River.
We were not sure if we would be able to make it when we started our 40 hikes. We definitely enjoyed each hike in a different way. Some of the hikes were enjoyed because of the accomplishment of doing it, others were enjoyed because of the views, and others because we had never done some of the hikes. Overall, it has been great to get all of the hikes done! I hope everyone reading this has enjoyed our experiences as well. Now, we will have to come up with some new adventures to share!