A Desert Oasis

Of all the places I’ve traveled to so far, Havasupai holds a special place in my heart; a place that heightened my sense of wander. I have never backpacked, let alone hiked strenuous miles to a magical place before.

It is a beautiful desert oasis in Arizona, and let me tell you why…

When I was invited a week before going in July, I honestly didn’t know I made one of the most unprepared decisions of my life. I didn’t have much hiking gear and didn’t know what this trip would entail.

If this is your first time preparing for this trip and you are reading this, here is a good list to follow that I made note afterwards:

-tent, sleeping bag, backpack rented from REI (under $100 for 2 people, affordable!)

-camelbak hydration bladder, water bottles , collapsible water jug (there is a spring at the camp that provides safe drinking water, but pack some purification tablets to be extra cautious)

-headlamp, flashlights

-single jet-boil stove with backpacking dinners (Mountain House Pro-Pack – it was so easy and delicious!)

-bag you can use to tie your food to a high branch (squirrels will get to it if it’s on the ground or near the trunk of a tree)

-garbage bags (Leave No Trace)

-camping mug (for those who like their coffee or hot chocolate)

-re-usable silverware/plastic ware (I would just bring a spork)

-good hiking shoes/boots that won’t give you blisters. (you will be hiking in sand some of the way) I wore my sneakers the entire time (totally regret it at the end)

-water shoes

-hiking outfit, swimwear outfit, warm outfit at night (do not over pack clothes! You can rinse them off at the stream if need be)

-travel hygiene supplies (toothbrush/paste, wipes, deodorant, brush, etc)

-towel, sunglasses, hat

-first aid kit/sunscreen

-camera gear/portable chargers (very important; I made the mistake of not bringing one)

-book

-hammock

-small day-pack/camelback (when you are hiking between waterfalls)

We arrived to the parking lot of the trail head the night before we started our journey, making sure we got a good night’s sleep. Because the summer heat in Arizona can be brutal, we decided to start hiking around 3 am. The 8 mile hike to the village was not bad at all, considering it was my first time. If you have good company, the time usually goes by so fast; you won’t realize how far you’ve gone. The trail was easily noticeable so you wouldn’t stray off course, taking us through different scenery and rock formations the whole way…..

We were greeted by a man on horseback 1-2 miles before we arrived at the village to check our permit. (It is reassurance that people aren’t hiking to the falls without one, since it is on Indian reservations). Once we got to the village there was a store and a couple benches outside to hang out before hiking the rest of the way to the campground. There were a lot of puppies to entertain us in the meantime! Walking through the village we did have to check in again before the last stretch, so make sure you don’t miss it.

Towards the end of our hike we came across Navajo Falls, just a couple miles before the campground. The mini waterfalls combining into one big one made it look so spectacular. We couldn’t help but take a dip to cool off. If I were you, I wouldn’t pass this up!

Before we knew it we arrived; the magical place of Havasupai. My adrenaline spiked a hundred times over I was so happy. It looked like a dream….

You can basically set up camp anywhere, just as long as you practice “Leave No Trace”. There is a spring you can easily get fresh water from and a food stand where they made delicious nutella crepes! The squirrels will get to your food like I mentioned earlier, so find a good tree to tie and hang your bag of food on. It did thunderstorm on us during one of the nights there, so if anyone is thinking of bringing just a hammock make sure you are committed to it. When it rained it poured! The thunder sounded so cool with its deep echo sounding effect; the awesome perks of being deep in the canyon.

We hiked around twenty miles between waterfalls that whole weekend. Get ready to hold onto chains while climbing down a steep wall, walk across streams, robe swing near Mooney Falls, cliff jump, hike through tall fields in what seemed like Jurassic Park….everything you can think of doing as a kid and more.

All in all, it truly is a desert oasis in Arizona, the place that heightened my sense of wander to the world...