Location: Arizona Map
Havasu Falls or Havasuw Hagjahgeevma as they are known among the local Havasupai tribes is located on the south border of the Grand Canyon National Park, in the state of Arizona in the United States. Havasu Creek is a tributary of the Colorado River. It is located and set from a road on the right side (left side when going upstream) of the main road. The trail leads through one side of a small plateau and falls into the main pool. Havasu Falls is undoubtedly the most famous and visited of the falls in the region. Havasu Falls consist of a main duct that falls on a vertical cliff of 120 feet (37 m) in a large pool. Its color is due to the high mineral (calcium carbonate) content of the water, the falls are always changing and sometimes they break into two separate hoppers of water.
There are many picnic tables on the opposite side of the creek, and it is easy to cross over by following the edges of the pools. It is possible to swim behind the falls and enter a small rock shelter behind it. However, drownings have occurred.
A campground is located nearby. Visitors are required to reserve permits prior to their travel to the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
Havasu or Havasuw is a word from the language of the Havasupai, a
Native American tribe living in the Grand Canyon, on Havasu Creek and on
the Coconino Plateau to the south, which, together with the related
Hualapai (Walapai) and Yavapai, belong linguistically, culturally and
geographically to the group of Upland Yuma (Upland Yuma or Northern Pai)
in northwest, southwest, and west-central Arizona.
Ha means
water, vasu or vasuw means blue-green or turquoise. Havasu can thus be
translated as blue-green water - in allusion to the hue of the water
caused by the high lime content, which is intensified by the red rock,
especially when the sun is shining.
The constructive waterfall, which is up to 30 meters high in total,
is the second highest on Havasu Creek. It is located immediately below
the Navajo Falls at an altitude of around 930 meters - 2.4 kilometers
northwest of Supai. It is located in the Havasupai tribal area within
the Havasupai Indian Reservation. Immediately below the waterfall, the
Carbonate Canyon flows in from the right.
In the area of the
waterfall there is a small campsite (Havasupai Campground), toilets,
numerous picnic tables, a ranger office (Havasupai Campground Rangers
Office) and a small spring (Fern Spring) about 400 meters downstream on
the left bank of the river. The hiking trail into Havasu Canyon begins
at Hualapai Hilltop and is approximately 15 kilometers long. It runs
through the Hualapai Canyon and is mostly in full sunlight. It is
therefore urgently necessary to prepare well for the semi-arid climate,
especially in summer.
Due to flooding events (flash floods), the lip and catchment basin
(still basin) of Havasu Falls has undergone constant changes and has
also been drastically remodeled several times. Before the flood event of
1910, the Havasu Creek poured out in layers over the almost 100 meter
wide edge of the fall and was therefore known at the time as Bridal Veil
Falls (Bridal Veil Falls). From 1910, a 9 meter deep indentation was
made in the travertine, which changed its position over time. At the
moment the water masses fall down in a single jet, but before (1994)
there were still two or more overflows.
The catch basin was also
badly damaged and is now greatly reduced in size. By the time of the
catastrophic flood event of 2008, a staggered succession of smaller
terraced basins had formed, capped downstream by a travertine fringe.
All pools were completely destroyed by the 2008 flood. The flood of 1905
was similarly destructive, and it also significantly reduced the size of
the catchment area.
Flood events are known from the years 1899,
1904, 1905, 1910, 1920, 1921, 1928, 1935, 1954, 1955, 1970, 1990, 1992,
1993, 2008 and 2010. They were mostly caused by severe summer
thunderstorms, to a lesser extent also by frontal ones weather
conditions in winter.
The Havasu Falls waterfall is constructed of Holocene to Pleistocene
travertine deposits overlying Redwall Limestone. The steep side walls of
the Havasu Canyon here consist of red rocks from the Supai Group. They
are covered by the platform of the Esplanade Sandstone. The forthcoming
layer pack dips 3 degrees west-southwest. The falls are in close
proximity to the Cataract Syncline - the trough axis of the Havasu
Downwarp.
Miscellaneous
The Havasu Falls are the setting for
the 2007 American action film Next, starring Nicolas Cage, Julianne
Moore and Jessica Biel, and in the music video Spirit by the American
R&B and pop singer Beyoncé.