Waterfalls of Havasupai

Descend into one of the most idyllic landscapes in America—the heart of the Grand Canyon at Havasu—and immerse in this sumptuous land of fiery red rock, towering white waterfalls, turquoise plunge pools, and soft spring greens of cottonwoods, ferns and wild grapevine meadows.

Havasu Canyon is arguably the most beautiful of the Grand Canyon’s numerous “side canyons”—those intersecting tributaries that aid the formation of the spectacular 280-mile-long chasm. Here, within the secluded lands of the native Havasupai—“the people of the blue-green water”—we photograph in one of the most picturesque locations in Arizona.

The canyon country of the Southwest is an arid landscape of seemingly timeless rock, yet it is sculpted by wind and—most dramatically—by water in an ever-changing transformation. In August of 2008, during northern Arizona’s late summer monsoon season, a massive flash flood stormed into Havasu Canyon and brought new changes to this land. Streambeds shifted, natural dams re-formed—and the waterfalls reinvented themselves.

From southern Arizona, we drive northward to Grand Canyon National Park. Following sunset and sunrise shoots on the South Rim, we continue to the village of Supai—where the mail still arrives by packhorse and access is by foot, horse or helicopter. For our journey, packhorses carry most of our heavy gear down from the canyon rim, while we board a helicopter for an awe-inspiring descent into a labyrinth of red sandstone. From our landing site, an easy two-mile trail leads into the canyon’s backcountry. We pass two new waterfalls—the 75-foot-high “New Fifty-Foot Falls” and wide curtain-like “Slide Falls”—and continue to 100-foot-high Havasu Falls where waters cascade into a travertine-terraced aquamarine pool. We spend four nights at the only private base camp in the Grand Canyon. Situated in a tranquil spot beneath shady cottonwood trees at the foot of an imposing red sandstone cliff, our camp features its own private “beach” and tropical-blue swimming hole. Further downstream, Mooney Falls—the tallest and most majestic—plunges 200 feet into its blue-green pool below.

From our comfortable base camp, we walk up canyon to a hidden cleft in the cliff wall connecting to the Tonto Platform. This broad rocky terrace, situated between the Supai Sandstone and Redwall Limestone formations, provides a wonderful vantage point to photograph sweeping vistas across the Grand Canyon to the North Rim, and also capture views of Havasu and Mooney Falls. A walk into Carbonate Canyon offers opportunities to shoot the dramatic rainbow colors and the subtle shapes of this attractive narrow slot canyon. Some of the most enticing images are found in several nearby side canyons whose murmuring springs feed lush gardens of ferns and watercress, and whose clear cascades lead to awe-inspiring overlooks.

We have a relaxed photographic schedule with many opportunities to revisit locations to enjoy the changing play of light and shadows, and to explore the varied features of this remote landscape. In the words of writer Loren Eiseley: "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." In this magical land of blue-green water you can concentrate on your photography and, for a time, transcend the cares of the outside world.