Everything You Need to Know About the Climb Down to Mooney Falls in Havasupai

“We reached a dark tunnel and I felt my excitement rise. This was it! We were about to start the climb down to Mooney Falls. Little did I know what was actually waiting for me on the other side of that tunnel… 😨”

Mooney Falls is one of the stunning blue waterfalls in Havasupai. It is often confused with Havasu Falls as they both look quite similar but Mooney Falls is the taller of the 2 and involves a dangerous decent to get to the bottom of the falls.

The trek to the bottom is 1000% worth it because the waterfall is an actual dream, however, it is a pretty nerve-racking climb and one that I froze on a couple of times because I was so terrified. Read the rest of this blog post for everything you need to know to prepare for the infamous climb down Mooney Falls in Havasupai.

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Everything You Need to Know About Mooney Falls

✈ Planning your Havasupai trip

🥾 Hike Stats (from Havasu Falls)

📍 Where is Mooney Falls

Mooney Falls is located in Arizona near the village of Supai, about a 3.5 hour drive from Las Vegas. To get to Mooney Falls, it is an long hike into the campground which you will need to obtain permits for.

🎒 How hard is the hike to Mooney Falls

The hike to Mooney Falls from Havasu Falls is easy up until you actually reach the waterfall and have to climb down to it. This is where I would classify the hike as HARD. The trail to the top of the waterfall is flat and wide.

Once you reach the waterfall, this is where things get interesting. You will need to scramble through a couple of dark caves followed by a steep decent down the side of the clay/rock wall.

The climb involves chains, ladders and navigating little foot and hand holes in the rock. Personally, I found the climb down to Mooney Falls is extremely difficult and frankly quite terrifying. More on this later in the trail description but please note that the climb down is not recommend for people who are afraid heights.

⌚ How long does it take to hike to Mooney Falls

The hike to Mooney Falls from Havasu Falls is only 1.1 miles but included in that 1.s mile is an extremely steep and honestly quite terrifying climb down to the waterfall. The whole thing took us around 45 minutes – 1 hour one way, including stopping for some photos at the top of the falls.

🚻 Toilets along the Mooney Falls Trail

From Havasu Falls, you will find toilets on your right hand side when you first enter the campground. The last lot of toilets along the trail are when you exit closer to Mooney Falls. They will be on your right hand side while you are hiking along the trail. You can’t miss them.

The toilets in the Havasupai campground were almost always fully stocked (once they were empty) with toilet paper when we were there, however, it doesn’t hurt to carry some spare on you just in case. 😉

Mooney Falls Trail Description (& my experience)

From the campsites to the top of the Falls

From the campsites to the top of Mooney Falls it is not too far and it is a super easy stroll. Enjoy this part of the hike while it lasts. Once we had reached the top of the falls, we spent a while checking out the view of the falls from different points along the top.

Eventually, we descended a little to where we found our favourite view of the falls in the photo below. This spot was also right next to the first cave.

The caves

Once we were done taking photos, it was time to hike down through the first cave. I didn’t find this part scary at all. It was dark but you could still see in the cave. There were a couple of little fake candles through the cave which added to the ambience.

One thing to watch out for is bumping your head on the cave ceiling. My friend Chrissy bumped her head on the top cave on the way back up because they are quite low.

When you emerge from the cave to the other side, you get a stunning view of Mooney Falls before heading straight into cave number 2.

The second cave is kind of similar but when you reach the other side, you see Mooney Falls and the start of the decent next to a pile of wet gloves. I highly recommend you take a pair and use them for the climb down. They will be cold, wet and soggy but there’s a reason they are there.

At the end of the day when we were ready to climb back up, there were only a couple of pairs of gloves left in the pile. I assume this is because some people don’t think they need them on the way down and then decide they did need them on the way up, leaving an odd number for the rest of the hikers.

We both got the last pairs and thank god because I don’t know if I could have climbed back up without them. Don’t be that person. Just use the gloves on the way down. You will be happy to have them believe me.

The climb down to Mooney Falls

Once I got my hands into a pair of cold soggy gloves, it was time to start the climb down to Mooney Falls. I went first and Dave followed behind.

The climb down started with a few stair shaped rocks/clay with a chain on the side to hold onto. This is what I though it would be like the entire way down. I had no idea just how difficult it was going to be.

I feel like the climb got progressively more and more difficult. There is only space for one way traffic which seemed to work fine because everyone climbed down in the morning and then back up in the afternoon.

Even with the one way traffic, there was still a bit of waiting around while the people ahead of you got down. After the “stairs” ended, I had to turn around to face the wall so that I could climb down holding onto the chain.

There were a couple of times when I really couldn’t figure out where to put my feet or my hands and I froze, panic setting in and my legs starting to cramp.

During the climb, you will also need to navigate your way down a couple of ladders. The last one I found had its rungs WAY too far apart, as if it was made for a giant. After what felt like a life time, I finally made it to the bottom and literally cried tears of relief while soaking up the views of the glorious Mooney Falls.

I’m not going to lie, this was my least favourite part of our trip to Havasupai but it was Dave’s favourite part, so it’s not for everyone but you also might enjoy it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any water crossings to get to Mooney Falls?

There are no water crossings to get to Mooney Falls. If you hike further to Beaver Falls and/or The Confluence, you will need to do a few water crossings.

What should I pack for Mooney Falls

• Swimsuit
• Grippy shoes or hiking boots
• A raincoat (you get quite wet and cold on the climb down)
• Climbing or gardening gloves (for the climb)
• Snacks and water
• A sun hat
• Water shoes like my Tevas in case you want to go for a dip

How did Mooney Falls get its name?

Mooney Falls is named after a sailor called James Mooney, who was mining the area with a group of friends in 1882. He died when attempting to climb down the falls.

How tall is Mooney Falls?

Mooney Falls is the tallest waterfall in Havasupai at almost 200 ft / 60m tall.

Can you swim in Mooney Falls?

You can totally swim in Mooney Falls, however, beware of the strong currents! Do not try to swim behind the waterfall as it is extremely powerful and therefore could injure or kill you.

During the Summer months I can imagine that a dip in Mooney Falls would be absolutely lovely. When we went, it was in November and quite chilly so we didn’t feel like swimming nor was anyone else swimming.

What makes the water at Mooney Falls so blue?

The water at Mooney Falls gets its bright blue colour from the Calcium carbonate and magnesium minerals that are picked up from the rocks underground as the water passes through.

You might also enjoy:

• How to Hike to Beaver Falls in Havasupai
• How to Get a Permit for Havasupai

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