Arizona
- Marina Undocked
- Sep 19, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 9, 2023
Havasu Falls - Grand Canyon - Horseshoe Bend - Sedona - Antelope Canyon - Sky Diving
One of my top three favorite states I have traveled to thus far. So much to offer and even after three different trips so much to offer still!
Havasu Falls
It was 2016 I was in college for my ocean engineering degree just grinding away working full semester loads and summers on top of working. I needed to get away and it was some random photo I had stumbled across one night depicting this blue green oasis in the middle of the dessert. I had to find it. After some research I learned it was Havasu Falls, which is located in within the Grand Canyon National Park. Havasupai is an Indian Reservation in which the various falls and camping is allowed is by permit only. It is an 8 mile hike down into the grand canyon and then another two mile hike to reach the camp sites. I gathered my friend Nita Amber, John and Leon and we were off to celebrate our trip out exploring and hiking Arizona!
From Pheniox we took historic route 66 out to Indian route 18 which lead us to the top of Hualapai Hilltop. When you arrive to the rim of the grand canyon you have 8 miles of hiking down into the canyon and across until you come across Supai Village.
The hike down is pretty steep and once your within the canyon you are more than likely to run into wild horses! Make sure to pack plenty of water and also you will have to carry all of your gear. There is the option to helicopter in and out which I believe was about $75 one way at the time. We opted for the full experience including lugging all our needed gear for the night!
The canyon can get extremely hot during the day so make sure to pack the sunscreen and plenty of water. And just like any desert the night is known to drop real cold, we were hiking in March so there was a drastic difference between the night and day temperatures.
Once we finally got in it was pretty late and dark. So we opted to set up camp for the night next to the river and eat dinner and call it a night.
The next morning we were off to explore Havasu Falls right near our camp site and to take in the beauty of the reserve. Spoiler Alert.... It is even more amazing in person and all of the photos do not do it any justice.
They say don't go chasing waterfalls but I did not hike all that way not to jump in the water. Had to do some scouting as you can see in the first photo but sure enough found a sweet little spot to jump in. Warning the water is very cold in March still.
Before we knew it, it was time to hike out but of course had to hike to the top of Havasu Falls and check out the summit from above. The view was unreal and was great to sit at and soak it all in.
As well as a stop at Beaver Falls before the long 10+ mile hike out.
The last portion of the hike does include a lot of switchbacks up hill... And after when we stopped at the gas station right outside the trail head we found out that there is a thing called the "Supai Shuffle". The Supai Shuffle is what the locals give to all the hikers after their hike out that are struggling. Next stop was the Grand Canyon National Park!
Grand Canyon National Park
And yes it did start to sprinkle snow on us when we took this last photo.
Horseshoe Bend/ The Wave
In 2020 my brother and I did a Utah and Arizona camping trip just the two of us! We tried multiple days to get permits to check out the wave but struck out every time. The permits are on a lottery basis and you have to be in person to enter and claim them. One person we spoke with has tried every day for years and still has had no luck..
With that Peter and I were off to explore Horseshoe Bend. This was my second trip there, with the first one not ending well. Lets just say as soon as we (Amber, Nita, John, Leon and I) got there a sandstorm basically knocked as out at the edge and we took off running. Now a days the trail head has been built out and you pay $10 per car to enter the scene. It is about a one mile hike down to view Horseshoe Bend.
Most of the cliff side does not have railings so climbing is at your own risk. Some portions have been fenced to allow for safe viewing over the edge. Definitely take the time out and make the stop to Horseshoe Bend next time you are in Arizona or lower Utah!
Sedona
Devil's Bridge Hike is a must! The town is a great spot to stop for lunch and to take one of the pink jeep off road tours around the area.
Antelope Canyon
On a separate trip Nita and I decided to do a 5 days exploring Nevada, Utah and Arizona. So on our detour over to Arizona had to include Antelope Canyon. You do need a ticket prior so make sure to set that up because there are certain times the tours enter into the canyon. There is various sections in which you can enter, all which typically take you down from the main road via four wheelers.
Definitely take the time while down there to explore around and climb around.
While Nita and I had a blast here, and glad we got to experience the canyon we just did not feel like it was worth the time it took to get over here from Utah!
Sky Diving
Before we ended the spring break trip Amber and I said why not and signed up for skydiving. While its is technically illegal to do it right over the grand canyon we were able to do it near by where you can see the canyon and it surroundings for miles.
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