Previous spread: Ethan Welty/Aurora Photos. This spread from left: Aaron Colussi; Jason J. Hatfield78 |^5280 |^ MAY 20^18
>Did You Know?
Unlike many ecologically
sensitive places you’ve
probably visited (e.g.,
Glenwood Canyon’s Hanging
Lake), swimming in Havasu
Creek and at Havasu Falls
is allowed. Which is a relief
because the 70-degree water
feels exceptionally refreshing
after a 10-mile hike in temps
hovering around 100 degrees
in the summer.
>If You Go
Planning a trip to the falls is
challenging. The Havasupai
Tribe controls access to the
area, requiring a permit
and at least a one-night
stay in the canyon. Permits
are limited and difficult to
procure; try to reserve a
permit before the end of
February for a summertime
visit. Reaching the falls
requires a 10-mile hike in
the hot desert sun. The first-
come, first-served no-facilities
campground where your
group (20-person limit) must
stay at least one night (there’s
a three-night max) is about a
five-minute walk from the falls.
havasupaireservations.com;
theofficialhavasupaitribe.comhe water here bears an uncanny
resemblance to Cool Blue Gato-
rade, which wouldn’t be odd if
Havasu Falls were spilling into
warm Caribbean waters. Instead,
Havasu Creek’s 98-foot-tall
cascade tucks inside the Grand
Canyon, creating an oasis among
the red rock. A rare cocktail of
magnesium, calcium, and cal-
cium carbonate suspended in the
spring relects the sun, giving it
the color of a luorescent blue
highlighter. he vivid water has
long drawn people to its banks.
In fact, the Native American
tribe that owns the land calls
itself the Havasupai, meaning
people of the blue-green water.When the Snake River’s sur-
face relaxes into a glassy plane
at Oxbow Bend, the relection
of 12,605-foot Mt. Moran
is breathtaking, making the
setting one of the most pho-
tographed in Grand Teton
National Park. But even when
a whisper of wind erases the
mirror image, there are still
plenty of reasons to hike—or,
better yet, stand-up paddle-
board—in the area. Sandhill
cranes, elk, moose, grizzly
bears, trumpeter swans, otters,
Canada geese, blue herons,
bald eagles, ospreys, and
American white pelicans all
call the slow-moving, shallow
waters and cottonwood-lined
banks home.>Did You Know?
Leave it to the French to
bestow lurid names upon
our lovely geography. The
story goes that Grand Teton
National Park got its name
from 19th-century French fur
trappers, who described the
range as “les trois tetons”—
or “the three breasts.” The
hunters were likely referring
to Grand Teton, Teewinot
Mountain, and Mt. Owen.
>If You Go
One of the vehicle pullouts
at Oxbow Bend is on U.S.
Highway 191 between Moran
Junction and Jackson Lake
Junction. To paddleboard
or kayak the Oxbow Bend,
rent equipment in Jackson,
pick up a $10 Grand Teton
National Park boating
sticker (available at any
visitor center), and put in
at Cattleman’s Bridge or
Jackson Lake Dam. The
park entrance fee is $30 per
vehicle and covers seven
calendar days. nps.gov/grteICONIC PLACES
OX B O W
BEND
Grand
Teton
N.P.WY
HAVASU
FALLS
The
Grand
CanyonAZ