Visiting Mooney Falls & Beaver Falls
The most popular day hike from the campground is a visit to Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls.
They’re located near each other and you have to pass Mooney Falls on the way to Beaver Falls, so it makes sense to visit them in the same day.
Some ambitious people visit the Confluence which is located about 6 miles past Beaver Falls. You should not try to visit the Confluence if you’re not at Beaver Falls by 10:30am and it’s not recommended in the summer heat.
We decided to skip the Confluence, but visit both Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls. We headed out at around 8am. Mooney Falls is first and it’s located at the edge of the campground, about half a mile from Havasu Falls.
In order to get down to the waterfall, you have to scale a cliff.
It might look scary, especially with the “descend at your own risk” sign at the top, but it’s not bad. They have gloves in case you want extra grip but we didn’t need to use them.
After getting down to Mooney Falls, we took some photos and then kept hiking to reach Beaver Falls which is located about two miles further.
On the way, you’ll walk through a huge field of greenery and cross the river three times. Previous hikers have left markings on the banks of the river so you know exactly when to cross.
There are a few other ladders and steep descents on the way but overall it was a pretty easy hike.
Beaver Falls is many small waterfalls and pools. You can swim in the different pools, jump from one to another and enjoy the scenery. I’d suggest packing a lunch and enjoying it while there.
The hike back from Beaver Falls felt quicker than the hike there and I think it may be due to the fact that we knew exactly where we were going, how many river crossings there were, etc.
Once we got back to Mooney Falls, it was time to climb up the cliff. The climb up was easier than the way down and again, we skipped using the gloves. If you’re weary of the climb, I’d suggest the gloves. The bottom third is wet from the waterfall and can be slippery.
After we reached the top, we hiked back to camp and I went for a swim in the river. It was the perfect end to the day hike. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and cooked dinner before heading to bed early for our hike out. My full recap of the trip is available [HERE].
Visiting Havasu Falls is beautiful, but adding Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls to the list makes the trip 1000% better. Each waterfall has its unique features and I highly recommend visiting all three, in addition to the small falls on the way from Supai to the campground.
