Grand Canyon - Havasupai's Mooney Falls

190' Mooney Falls

I was just looking through pictures from our spectacular vacation, and putting together a photo book and realized that I never finished writing about our Grand Canyon Adventures!  Not sure how I let that slip, but on any given day besides work, I'm helping, cleaning up after, distracted by, or chauffeuring 1, 2, 3, or 4 children, or any combination thereof.  At any rate, I'm going to do my best to catch up on the details of our trip:

After a 14 hour day touring Las Vegas, we checked out the Hoover Dam, and then spent 2 days at Grand Canyon West (GCW).  Although not as well known as Grand Canyon National Park, GCW is the home of the Hualapai Tribe http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/08/july-was-blur.html , and we recommend visiting.  During our visit, we were able to walk up to the edge of the canyon, look down into the canyon, and explore and take pictures without any railings to alter the views.  We saw gorgeous panoramic sunsets at Guano Point, sunrise outside of  our cabin door at Hualapai Ranch where we enjoyed archery, quick-draw, tomahawk throwing, roping, and horseback riding up to the rim of the Canyon.    

Hoover Dam

Sunrise at Hualapai Ranch cabins

At the edge of the Canyon, Guano Point

Sunset at Guano Point, Grand Canyon West

Horseback riding at Hualapai Ranch

Switchbacks as we descend from trailhead

The Canyon view as we hike

30' Rock Falls - Rosebud and Rhody jumped from the top!

After exploring at GCW, we continued east to the Grand Canyon Caverns.  We toured the caverns and after a hearty dinner in Seligman at Lilos, we settled in so we’d be ready for the next day.  After a 4am wakeup, we packed up and drove down dark, vacant Route 66 a short distance to get to the turnoff for the 62 mile ride to the trailhead, Hualapai Hilltop.  It was around 7am when we set out from the trailhead, and it was still cool.  We hiked into the Canyon, 8 long miles; the first 1.5 miles were steep switchbacks with loose footing, and it was cool since we were in the shade, and the sun hadn’t heated the canyon walls for the day.  As the trail leveled out, the terrain was less rough, and the “soil” was finer, looser, red sediment that has washed into the canyon over thousands of years.  Soon after we’d made it to level terrain, it began to heat up, and we trekked the rest of the way in the July heat continuously sipping the water from our Camelbacks which were nestled into our backpacks.  We stopped along the way for photos, for breaks and snacking on dried fruit, granola, and peanut butter crackers.  We reached the Village of Supai, home of the Havasupai Indian Tribe in about 4 hours. 


After resting and having lunch, and checking into the air conditioned Lodge, we decided to hike 1.5 miles further to Rock Falls, a 30 foot waterfall.  Rosebud and Rhody jumped from the top!  After picking up some pb and j, bread, cheese, nacho chips, salsa, crackers, and water (lunch and dinner supplies) at the General Store, a good night’s sleep, and a big breakfast at the Café, we decided to hike 2.5 miles to the furthest fall that we would visit, Mooney Falls, and then backtrack and enjoy two other falls as we made our way back. 

Getting to Mooney Falls is not a leisurely 2.5 mile hike, and it’s not for the faint of heart, or someone afraid of heights.  Mooney Falls, is the tallest of the Havasupai Falls at 190’ tall.  Getting to the base of the falls is tricky, because the trail winds down the face of a cliff, and then through a short tunnel.  The tunnel ends at a ledge that has a great view of the falls at about 120’ from the bottom.  There is a thick chain link “rail” to keep hikers from falling.  You don’t want to fall from here…Mooney Fall is named after a miner who fell to his death in 1882.  The trail continues in a second, narrow, steep tunnel that emerges about 80’ above the canyon floor.  At this point, there is a very steep descent along rough rock, and more chains that are anchored to cliff walls with rebar and eye hooks.  Without this chain and rebar for handholds and footholds it would almost impossible to descend safely.  Hikers cannot pass along these sections, there is only room for one person, and it’s necessary to take turns descending and ascending.  At about 15-20’ from the bottom there are old wooden ladders to make the final descent.  Hikers should note that the constant mist from the falls can make the climb dangerous and slippery.  But it’s so worth the adrenalin rush to get into the water at the base of the falls.  Due to the mist, it was tricky to take pictures without getting the camera wet, but we managed.  The water actually felt cool even though it was a hot July day because of the mist.  If you dared to get near the pounding water, it prickled the skin!  We explored downstream a bit, snacked, and jumped off some of the smaller falls there.  Be sure you remember to pack lots of water, snacks, sun screen, beach towels, and water shoes to keep your feet safe as you climb and jump from the falls.  You also might want to pack a small foot power to help dry off your feet before putting the hiking boots back on.  And as you can see, a camera is a MUST to capture the brilliant colors and beauty of Mooney Falls.

Hiking down to Mooney requires you to pass through narrow rock tunnels

Climbing up/down to Mooney Falls is a bit tricky!

Hang on tight to the ropes and wooden ladders

190' Mooney Falls

Other related links:http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/08/july-was-blur.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/grand-canyon-adventures-continued.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2012/04/mooney-falls-return-trip.html

July was a blur...

...a glorious blur, full of wonderful memories.  This summer has been different from most summers because we planned a big trip, a once in a lifetime vacation to the Grand Canyon.  Spending our vacation immersed in nature was absolutely invigorating, and we will never forget the gorgeous scenery and weather we enjoyed, and spending time together enjoying one of the natural wonders of the world.

Our trip was not the typical, popular destination of Grand Canyon National Park.  We opted to avoid the summertime crowds that visit the National Parks, but instead we visited two of the Native American Indian Reservations, the Hualapai Tribe at Grand Canyon West (famous for their Skywalk) and the Havasupai Tribe, home to the gorgeous turquoise waterfalls that seem strangely out of place in the middle of the dessert.  Each locations was breathtaking, and worth every second, and we didn't seem to mind sweating in the midst of such beauty.

Panoramic views of the Canyon and Colorado River at Guano Point

Guano Point - the layers of the canyon are amazing

At Grand Canyon West, we hopped on and off of the shuttle to visit 3 different locations; Eagle Point, Guano Point, and Hualapai Ranch.  Eagle Point features a Native American Village with a walking tour of Native American dwellings, an handmade jewelry and crafts that the girls enjoyed perusing, and the glass Skywalk.  We skipped the expensive Skywalk in favor of other activities and hiking at Guano Point, where we saw gorgeous panoramic canyon views and the Colorado River that looked like chocolate milk. We took tons of pictures at Guano, and it is impossible to pick a favorite, but I've included a few :)

Sunset at Guano Point

Sunrise at Hualapai Ranch, view from outside of our cabin.

The third location, the Hualapai Ranch, which looks like an old western town, was a hit with everyone; the kids loved petting the horses, and we all tried our hand at tomahawk throwing (I couldn't do this to save my life!), and quick-draw (I was pretty darn quick).  Rhody loved hanging out with the cowboys and also tried out roping, and bow and arrow.  Our hosts also treated us to a van ride out to Guano Point to see the sunset, that was AMAZING.  After a hearty dinner at the Ranch, we enjoyed a campfire and s'mores under the stars, and listening to stories and songs.  We had a good night's sleep in our basic (no TV, but there was AC) but comfortable cabins.  The next day, in true cowboy style, there was an early morning wakeup for the sunrise, but as you can see it was worth the 5am wakeup!  After a nap and breakfast, we capped off the trip with a horseback ride to the rim, yeeeha!!    We bid farewell to the cowboys, Norman the cow (from the movie City Slickers), and the Hualapai, and continued eastward on our trip, eager for the next chapter :)

...Stay tuned for more Grand Canyon adventures and pictures :)
...to be continued....
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/grand-canyon-adventures-continued.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/Havasupai Mooney Falls2012.html
http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2012/04/mooney-falls-return-trip.html