Under Construction
by Bob's Rock Shop

Havasu Canyon - Hualapai Hilltop to Beaver Falls

Location: Havasupai Indian Reservation / Grand Canyon National Park
Geological Formations: Toroweap Formation, Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Formation, Supai Group, Surprise Canyon Formation, Redwall Formation, Muav Limestone, Travertine Deposits
Other Attractions: Supai Indian village, several of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in Grand Canyon, pools and swimming holes in Havasu Creek, extensive riparian areas, late 1800s mining activity and relics
Hiking Difficulty: Easy to Moderate for two day and longer hikes
Access: No bus service or public transportation, good road (Highway 18) to parking lot at Hualapai Hilltop.
USGS 7.5 Minute Arizona Topo Maps: Supai, Havasu Falls, S B Point

(Click Highlighted Area on this Map for Higher Resolution Detail)

A raven overflies the trailhead at Hualapai Hilltop overlooking Hualapai Canyon. About six miles down this trail, Hualapai and Cataract Canyons intersect to form Havasu Canyon. Hualapai and much of Havasu Canyons are located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Permits to hike and camp here are tightly controlled and must be obtained through reservations from the Havaspai Indian Tribe. Havasu Falls is about nine miles down the trail from here. The trail descends from about 5200 feet elevation at Hualapai Hilltop to about 2800 feet at the campground near Havasu Falls, a relatively easy hike by Grand Canyon standards.

Hikers are treated to superb exposures of the Toroweap Formation, Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Shale, and Esplanade Sandstone in Hualapai Canyon near Hualapai Hilltop. The Esplanade Sandstone is the uppermost of the four Supai Group Formations. The underlying Wescogame, Manakacha, and Watahomigi Supai Group Formations are crossed as the trail is descended through Hualapai and Havasu Canyons into the Indian village of Supai. By the time Havasu and Mooney Falls are reached, Havasu Canyon is cutting through the Redwall Limestone, with deposits of travertine covering the canyon floor.

The type section for the Mooney Falls Member of the Redwall Limestone occurs at Mooney Falls. The Temple Butte Limestone underlying the Redwall is exposed in the vicinity of Beaver Falls, which is about 4 miles upstream from the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River. Exposures of the intermittent Surprise Canyon Formation, the most recently identified and recognized Grand Canyon formation, are visible above the Redwall Limestone in the vicinity of Beaver Falls.