After camping the night before in the rain near Flagstaff, we decided to hike into Havasu Canyon, a remote canyon cutting through the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The canyon is home to the Havasupai people who have lived in the canyon for almost a thousand years. Their village of Supai, in the one wider stretch of the canyon, still receives virtually all their supplies and mail by burro. The canyon is best known for several picturesque waterfalls- calcium-charged blue-green waters cascading 40-200ft over red rock and travertine- go-to standards for any waterfall calendar (see one of the first posts on this blog). The long drive over the extensive plateaulands eventually brought us to the remote Hualapai Hilltop trailhead. Rogue thunderstorms bounded us but we set off hiking anyway, expecting to get a little wet but not much more.
We hiked down from the hilltop and entered Hualapai Canyon. The walls rapidly rose around us as we went down the dry wash. Thunder roared. Looking back we could see a great wall of black clouds and rain obscuring would should be the canyon's headwaters. There was no end to this storm in sight and it was headed right for us. This looks wet I thought. We continued down, our pace quickened as if we thought there was some way to outrun this beast. I started looking out for alcoves we could hide out in if it started downpouring. We went a bit further and then it started pouring. It poured sheets and sheets with thunder overhead so we ran to a shallow overhang on the canyon's true right.
Within a minute a waterfall formed over the overhang in front of us. There was nothing to do but sit and watch. Over the span of about a half an hour we saw the flood appear, build and then peak. Rapids formed where we had just been walking.
The streambed was dry about 5 minutes before I started filming. Waterfalls began appearing locally and the first water to begin flowing was from nearby sources. Eventually the rain abated and local waterfalls began to disappear as the the main flood pulse continued to arrive from the extensive headwaters further upcanyon. In particular note the large rock in the center of the flow, the gravel bar, and the waterfall downstream.
Within a minute a waterfall formed over the overhang in front of us. There was nothing to do but sit and watch. Over the span of about a half an hour we saw the flood appear, build and then peak. Rapids formed where we had just been walking.
The streambed was dry about 5 minutes before I started filming. Waterfalls began appearing locally and the first water to begin flowing was from nearby sources. Eventually the rain abated and local waterfalls began to disappear as the the main flood pulse continued to arrive from the extensive headwaters further upcanyon. In particular note the large rock in the center of the flow, the gravel bar, and the waterfall downstream.
The flood continued so we wisely aborted our Havasu Canyon plans to return back to the Hilltop. Fortunately there was an easy place to climb out of the inner canyon and remarkably continuous slickrock benches we could take back. There were a few drainages and cliffs to navigate but otherwise the route was surprisingly good. Standing water filled every shallow depression on the slickrock forming beautiful patterns and reflections. Since we were already on the true right we did not even have to cross the flood to return to the Hilltop. We noticed a few of the friendly dogs that had been hanging out at the parking area were trying to return home downcanyon but were thwarted by the floods. Eventually one of the dogs crossed the river and followed us back to the Hilltop.
It was not the natural spectacle we had in mind, but was a beautiful hike nonetheless!
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