Havasupai - Grand Canyon - Days 3 & 4 - Bench Trail, Mines, and Exit

View of Mooney Falls from the Bench Trail.

The Bench Trail is another must-do hike for Havasu visitors that want to do more than just soak in the pools. A bit hard to find (there is no official trail head or signage), the Bench Trail begins by the cemetery above Havasu Falls with a short scramble to the top of a wide bench cut into the Redwall Limestone. Once on top, simply follow the well-defined trail downcanyon along the edge of the bench.

The views are much more expansive on the bench and you can get a better sense of the enormity of this major tributary of the Grand Canyon. Looking down on the falls of Havasu Creek offers a unique perspective and great photo opportunities. It's about 2 miles to an overlook above Mooney Falls, which is as far as we went. The trail  continues however, probably at least to an overlook of Beaver Falls and the confluence with Beaver Canyon.

The rarely hiked Bench Trail provides a fresh perspective on the wonders of Havasu Canyon.

Balancing on the edge above Havasupai Campground. According to legend, the campground used to be an Indian burial ground.  Hector photo.

A closer look at Havasu Falls from the Bench Trail.

From the Bench Trail, one has a fine view of a well-exposed breccia pipe in upper Carbonate Canyon.  These likely formed when large caverns in the Redwall Limestone collapsed and thousands of feet of overlying rock above fell into the void. Hundreds of breccia pipes have been found in the Grand Canyon region. Some of them are hosts for uranium or copper. According to the USGS 7.5-minute topo map, this pipe has an mine near its base--I'll have to confirm this on my next trip.

Havasu Creek and Mooney Falls. Note the steep trail to the right of the falls that must be negotiated to continue downcanyon. The cottonwood groves along Havasu Creek are thick and healthy. Cottonwoods need to be periodically flooded to sweep out debris and dead trees and to spur the growth of new trees. Unfortunately what is good for the trees is not so good for campers that can be stranded in the flood waters, or for the Supai people who have to rebuild the campground after floods. On the flip side, if flood control measures such as dikes or channelization are added to protect the campground, the cottonwoods would eventually all mature and die off, with little new growth. 

Bird's eye view of Mooney Falls from the Bench Trail.

This small natural bridge is just off the trail and is about 300 feet above the campground. Hector photo.

Mooney Falls.

A small, easy-to-miss side trail leads to a couple of old and lonely Supai grave sites.

After burning a couple of hours up on the Bench Trail, we decided to take advantage of the warmer temps (if you recall, we started this adventure in the snow!) and play around in the pools below Havasu Falls.

Hector gets his feet wet.

Playtime at Havasu Falls.

Hector takes the full plunge at Havasu Falls.

Once the sun dipped below the canyon wall and the air cooled off, we headed up Carbonate Canyon (a main side canyon heading east from the base of Havasu Falls) to explore an old lead-silver mine.

Hector stands at the entrance to Bridal Veil Mine, the largest and most accessible mine in the Havasu area. 

While the mine is relatively safe to explore, be aware of vertical shafts to lower levels and signs of minor cave-ins.  

Lead mine in Carbonate Canyon. Note the narrow gauge rails still in place in the foreground.

Zone of mineralization on the ceiling of the Bridal Veil Mine. Visible minerals include calcite (larger white crystals), galena, and sphalerite (gray and metallic minerals). 

It appears the miners intersected a few small natural caverns which are very common in the Redwall Limestone throughout the Grand Canyon. These mammillary coatings (calcium carbonate) likely formed at the water table which is a good proxy for the elevation of whatever river carved the drainage the cave resides in (here, probably an early version of Havasu Creek). By dating dozens of cave mammillaries across the inner Grand Canyon, scientists have been able to better estimate the position of an earlier version of the Colorado River, thus revealing the timing of the evolution of the Grand Canyon. The most recent research of the coatings shows the western end of the Grand Canyon began to be cut nearly 17 million years ago. 

Looking out the main entrance to the Bridal Veil Mine. A lack of roads meant expensive shipping costs and the mines in the Havasu area were destined to fail. The Bridal Veil Mine closed for good in about 1942 after producing over 150 tons of lead ore. 

A relic of the old mining days in the Grand Canyon.

After fully exploring the main level of the mine, we returned to Havasu Falls for more late-evening  photos.

Before climbing into our tents for the night, we attempted to photograph star trails with Hector's camera. Right when we figured out how to do it, his last battery pack died. Bummer.

Our only goal for day four was to get to our car at a decent time so we didn't get back home too late. We set a pretty stiff pace and made the hike from the campground to Hualapai Hilltop in about 4.5 hours. For the final steep grind (1,100 vertical feet in about 1.4 miles) from the Esplanade Bench to the hilltop, I decided to push myself a bit and vowed to catch up to the pack train carrying tourists that had passed us in Hualapai Canyon. I caught the mules about halfway up, but there was no reasonable way to get around them, so I just followed on the heels  of the last one to the top.

Havasu is a great place for a family adventure. I spent a lot of time thinking about how much fun my kids and Susie would have here. My youngest should be ready to go in a few years--can't wait!

Final shot of New Navajo and Fifty Foot Falls on the hike out.

Church in Supai Village.

Hector climbs the final switchback to Hualapai Hilltop.

View into Hualapai Canyon from the trail head. While the trail to Supai Village, the campground, and the Colorado River are often described as a tough hike, truth is, it's one of the easiest and most gradual trails leading into the heart of the Grand Canyon.