• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

After a day at Grand Canyon West, the dusty road back through Joshua tree forest puts you onto Route 66. Settle in for the night at Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, a quiet roadside motel with all the low-key kitsch and simple comforts you could ask of a Route 66 roadhouse, complete with a faux-ferocious T-rex out front.

Load up on eggs and pancakes at the inn’s restaurant on your third morning, before a journey into one of the most magical spots in the Grand Canyon, on the Havasupai Reservation. Park in the Hualapai Hilltop lot and hoist your pack for the hot but beautiful 8-mile hike down to Supai village at the bottom of Havasu Canyon. Check into Havasupai Lodge, refuel with a simple burrito at the Village Café and go to bed dreaming of blue-green waters.

In the morning, manifest those dreams with a hike down to the 75ft-high Navajo Falls, cascading into a gorgeous swimming hole, and Havasu Falls, pouring a hundred feet high into another jewel-toned pool. A quarter-mile from Havasu Falls, set up camp at cottonwood-shaded Havasu Campground to while away a few days in the canyon. Just beyond lies 200ft Mooney Falls, named after the miner who fell to his death here in 1882 – take his misfortune to heart and take the climb down carefully. Chains and ladders aiding the climb can be extremely slippery from the water’s spray. Beaver Falls, a series of smaller cascades, is another two miles downstream; getting there requires some scrambling, and crossing the creek several times, but in the end you’ll be rewarded with several secluded pools near the river.

* * *

DETOUR

On the Hualapai Reservation, where Diamond Creek flows into the Colorado River, Diamond Creek Campground bears the distinction of being the only spot in the Grand Canyon where you can drive directly down to the river. Rafters regularly use Diamond Creek as a put-in and take-out point; campers wishing to sleep by the river can get a first-come, first-served camping permit ($25 per person per night) at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs, an hour’s drive from the campground.

* * *

If you’re short on time but thirsting for a dip in the Havasu pools, flit in for a day or overnight trip with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, based out of Tusayan and Las Vegas.

Wendy Yanagihara

Return to beginning of chapter

* * *

TRIP INFORMATION

GETTING THERE

Boulder City is 23 miles from Las Vegas. Take Hwy 93 south from Las Vegas toward Phoenix.

Do

Havasupai Reservation

No lodgings? No love – without a booking, you’ll be forced to leave Havasu Canyon. 928-448-2121; www.havasupaitribe.com; PO Box 160, Supai, AZ; adult/child $35/17.50, plus environmental care fee per person $5; 9am-5pm

Hualapai Reservation (Grand Canyon West)

The effort to get here and price of admission may be significant, but there’s only one Skywalk. 877-716-9378; www.destinationgrandcanyon.com; Grand Canyon West, AZ; admission $30, parking $20; 7am-7pm Mar-Oct, 8am-4:30pm Nov-Feb

Hualapai River Runners

The only company to do one-day river trips in the Grand Canyon. 928-769-2219, 888-255-9550; www.destinationgrandcanyon.com/runners.html; Hualapai Lodge, 900 Rte 66, Peach Springs, AZ; one-day motorized trips $328; 8am-5pm;

Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters

Departures from Boulder City, Las Vegas and Tusayan. 702-736-7243, 888-635-7272; www.papillon.com; Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Hwy 64, Tusayan, AZ; admission adult/child from $120/100; 5am-11pm;

Scenic Airlines

Helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft tours to Grand Canyon West. 702-638-3300, 800-634-6801; www.scenic.com; 3900 Paradise Rd, Suite #185, Las Vegas, NV; 1-day motorized trips $328; 5am-11pm;

EAT & DRINK

Boulder Dam Brewing Company

Fresh, unadorned pub grub complements the tasty house beers. 702-243-2739; www.boulderdambrewing.com; 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV; mains $5-9; 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri & Sat

Village Café

This Havasupai cafe has a limited and relatively pricey menu, but it’s the only game in town. 928-448-2111; Supai, AZ; mains $10; 7:30am-7:30pm

SLEEP