We Explored the Secret Village in the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is over 270 mi long and 6,000 feet deep, with over 5 million visitors every year. Most people are probably aware of its stunning landscapes full of hiking trails, rivers, and waterfalls. This is nuts. We still have a little ways to go. We're almost there.

But what you might not know is that there's a tiny village of 28 residents located right in the heart of this massive canyon. And today we're hiking 10 mi all the way to the bottom of the canyon to learn more about this secret village. Plus, of course, we'll explore some of the world's most epic waterfalls all alone. Look at this. But more on that later.

The village is owned by the Havasupai people, and entry is strictly controlled by a permit system. It can take years to get a permit. And if you're lucky enough to get one, it cost $455 per person for a three-night trip, making this one of, if not the most expensive hikes in the US. So join us as we carry everything we need for the next 3 days on our backs, mostly nights back to see if this adventure is worth the wait and expensive price tag.

[Music] Don't fall. So Oh gosh. Oh my god. Saved it. Down we go. I'm so excited.

So, not only is the Supai village the only village in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, it's also the most remote village in the continental US. So, we just drove through 2 hours of nothingness to get here. And now we're starting the hike down to the village. There's only two ways to get here. You can either take a helicopter, which is surprisingly affordable, or you can hike down like we're doing now. But I kind of feel like you'd be missing out on a big part of the experience if you didn't do the hike.

So from here, we have eight miles until we get to the village and then another two miles to get to the campground where we're going to be spending the next two nights. So as I mentioned before, these permits are notoriously hard to get, especially if you want to come in the spring, summer, or fall because the idea of swimming in the waterfalls down at the bottom is super romantic. But we got tired of waiting around for permits and they're pretty easy to grab in winter. We actually grabbed one 2 days ago and there was tons of availability. So, we're going in offseason, which feels like a little bit of a risk, but I think it could have some benefits.

First, in summer, this canyon can get up to 115°. So, most people start this 10-mi hike before the sun rises. And we've started at a casual 10:00 a.m. Second, because it's winter, there should be a lot fewer people down here. And we're hoping to have a couple of the waterfalls all to ourselves, which would be really special because it gets super crowded in the summer. We're going to head down, be the guinea pigs, and see if it's worth doing this in offseason.

We stopped on the way in to pick up our permits. The lady told us she's had like fourish people check in in the last few days. In about 3 weeks, she said 100 people per week at least are going to be checking in. So, that made me really hopeful. Look at this view. It is hard to look at the view when you have to pay really close attention to your feet. Otherwise, it's super easy to slip.

[Music] warmed up fast. As soon as we round the corner into the sunshine, I went from freezing to sweating. I think I could go from my puffy coat to my tank. I'm going shirtless. Well, it's pretty obvious why the people in summer start their hike before sunrise. It's the middle of winter and I'm in shorts and a t-shirt. I just can't believe we are in the middle of the Grand Canyon right now, all alone. This is going to be the best weekend ever.

[Music] So, if you're using this video to plan your trip, just a heads up, you do have to check in for the hike at a place that's an hour and a half before you actually get to the trail head. It's called the Grand Canyon Caverns in. And I did not realize until we pulled up this morning that it's the same place that we stopped when we were driving Route 66 back in 2020. It's this super quirky classic Route 66 style motel on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. But the thing that makes it super cool is that there is a massive cave back behind the motel and you can actually sleep in the cave overnight. So it brought back some fun memories. Did it bring up fun memories or nightmares, mate? So this is where we think we see the ghost and that's where we're sleeping. That's where you are. Great. It's the deepest hotel in the US. The problem is they tell you ghost stories when they take you down. So they tell you about all the people who have died down there. It's for sure haunting the spirits that haunt it and then they leave you there by yourself. You're the only one in the cave all night after they've told you these ghost stories. How are you supposed to get a good night's sleep after that? I slept great. So yeah, if you're planning your trip and you're not scared of ghost and you want to add a fun night on before after the trip, definitely check out uh Sleeping in the Cave.

[Music] All right, three miles in. We're doing about 30 minute miles. The first mile was pretty much just the switchbacks going straight down the canyon wall. And then the last two have just been through this dry rivered in the bottom of the canyon. But it's time for some water and a snack. The best part of hiking. This is amazing. We're just alone in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon.

[Music] So pretty down here. We are officially halfway, so 5 miles in. And we've seen a grand total of five other people on this entire hike. Three of them were leaving. It's pretty crazy to think that we're going to go from this barren, dry landscape to just an oasis of waterfalls. Could not ask for better weather for a hike. So far, winter is the move. ask us tonight when it gets dark and we're laying in our tent if we still feel that way.

So, I don't know if you've thought about the logistics of how all this works, but if you have, you may be wondering how in the world they get stuff down here, how the people who live in the most remote village in the US get their mail. We just saw it in action. Unfortunately, sign at the top specifically said, "Do not film horses." But we just got passed by a mule train and the mules on either side of them had a US postal box where they had just brought the mail down and they were coming back up. The nearest post office is actually 75 mi away in a town called Peach Tree. And it is the only post office in the US that has a walk-in freezer because they have to bring food down here. So they bring the food to the post office and then they put it in a truck. It's a loud bird. They drive it to the trail head where we start at this hike and then from there everything goes on to mule trains. So 6 days a week mules make the trip down and back and supply the village with everything they need. I have a bunch of rocks in my boots. You look like a sailor. Closer. Two more miles to the village. Look how clear this water is. We're almost there.

Hey y'all. Future Cara here. Obviously not in the Grand Canyon anymore. We are back home in Colorado. Yay. I mean, right now I'm in the van and night's out running in the wilderness somewhere. Shocker. But we are back in Colorado for a short time. Just real quick, I'm extra thankful that BetterHelp is sponsoring this video because one, I personally do online therapy with them and I've had a great experience. Plus, it just gives me the excuse to be real and vulnerable with you for a minute, which honestly is a lot harder than I would like it to be. It's no secret that I've had a roller coaster of emotions this last year. And I've tried to slip in my epilepsy journey in our videos here and there, but it's something I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate. For example, when you see me living my best life, sleeping next to hot falls, it just feels kind of like an awkward time to be like, "Hey, I'm really struggling and I'm sad and I'm carrying a lot of fear." But it's true. When we go places this remote lately, it's almost like I'm mourning the person I used to be who never had to sit there and wonder about how far the nearest hospital is. And I know that sounds crazy and it's something that I'm working through. And therapy has been an amazing tool for me through this whole process. And it's something I really believe in and wish more people would utilize. So, if anyone begins therapy because of this video, whether you're going through something big or small, that would just make me so happy. It could not be any easier to find an online therapist through Better Hope. If you scan the QR code here on the screen or just click the link in the description below, betterhelp.com/kn, then you'll get 10% off your first month of therapy. Take care of yourself. Thanks for listening.

It has been almost exactly 4 hours since we started the hike and we have made it to the most remote village in the US, [Music] unfortunately. All right, so we're on the other side of the village now. And I wish we could have showed you more, but obviously we're going to be respectful and not film. I expected it to feel a lot like Monawai, which is the town that we visited in Nebraska that has a population of one. And pretty much the only thing that the entire town consists of is a diner and one lady's house. But this was like a real town. There were schools, churches, a restaurant, a grocery store, a post office. The most remote post office in the US. I guess everything down here is probably the most remote cafe lodge. So if you don't want to camp, you can stay at the lodge. It was a full mile to walk through the town and we probably passed 50 houses. So you could do this trip really bougie. You can take the helicopter down, stay in the lodge and just hike to the waterfalls. It was a really good exercise and like not pulling out the camera, but there were just so many times I'd be like, "Oh, but like there are power lines that you could see stretching all the way down from the top of the canyon to get down and power the village." a bunch of fascinating stuff. But even though this is the most remote town in the US, over 20,000 people visit here every year. But they don't come to see the town. They come to see the waterfalls that we're going to spend the next 2 days exploring. And we can actually film this. Don't worry.

[Music] I was not prepared for this. Look at the color of that water. I love it. We are all alone at the water fall right now. What? And I think this is why more people should start coming here off season. It's even bluer and more magnificent than I ever could have dreamed that. A waterfall in the Grand Canyon would be incredible by itself, but the color of the water, it doesn't look real. We are in an oasis in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It's pretty cold, but we're getting it. We're getting it. Yes, we're both pretty warm from our hike, and uh you can't pass up a chance to be the only one swimming in Habsu Falls. Warm. I still cannot believe Woo! Oh my gosh. This is insane. Like, I knew it was going to be good, but nothing could have prepared me for this. And the fact that we're alone. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. This is the best animal. It's a trade-off. The water's not warm. So, there's this little area right in front of the falls that just looks like a natural I was going to say hot tub, but I guess a natural cold plunge at this point. Look at this. It's cold. It's cold. But it's so pretty. It does not get better than this. No. I'm so happy. All right. So, once you're in, it really doesn't feel that bad. And I cannot think of anything that feels better after a long hot 10 mile hike. Okay. Body temp starting to get down. We don't want to be freezing the rest of the night. So, we're going to get out. But, uh, I have a feeling tomorrow during the day, we'll be able to hang out in the other falls a lot longer. If we just hiked out right now, it was all worth it. But, we still have four more waterfalls to explore tomorrow. I don't think it's going to get any better than that. Might as well go home. But now we have to find somewhere to set up camp before it gets dark. And I am very much looking forward to dinner. Bye.

This is home for the night. We found our own private spot right beside the river. There are hundreds of spots in this campground and there are probably 15 tents and this little slice of heaven is all ours. I am glad to have this off my back. Nate carried pretty much everything. My backpack is tiny and turns out it only held enough for like my clothes. If y'all have been around a while, then you know this tent has been used at Rag Bry, Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Boundary Waters, and now the Grand Canyon. Somehow this whole hike here has turned into a trip down memory lane. It's been fun. Hard to get the stakes in the ground.

So, in about a month, I have my first big race of the year coming up. It's marathon day Saab. It's six marathons in six days in the Sahara Desert, and it's completely self-supported. So, I have to carry everything I need for a week on my back. And this has given me a good opportunity to try out some of my gear for that race. This is my ultralight sleeping pad. But what I'm most excited about is I found this little gadget. It's a pump that weighs 1.2 oz. So, at the end of the day, after I've run a marathon, instead of having to blow this up myself, I've never actually used this before. One double A battery is supposed to inflate this 15 times. Let's see how long it takes. It's working, though. That's good. Pumped about that. This is awesome. Wow. Less than a minute. I'm not laded. Every ounce is going to be precious on the Ant Sab, but this is coming with me. Let's test out this fancy new sleeping pad. Cozy time. Wow. Cheers. It's an amazing thing using the pork saw. Well, I thought it was like big noodles, you know. Cheers. That was good. Everything tastes 10 times better when you're camping. And when you've burned over 3,000 calories in a day, this is luxury. I was about to say the same thing. Our own private campground is Grand Canyon. That's how I feel. I do a lot of research for these trips. I spent a lot of time looking forward to them, and it's always a question in the back of my mind of whether or not they're going to live up to the hype this one has. Well, it is uh 7:30. I guess it's time for bed. No cell service. And uh I'm tired.

One of the things that we could not fit Oh, your feet do stink. I told you. One of the things we couldn't fit in our bag was my pillow. So, tonight my daily drop packing cube is going to be about pillows. I don't have a pillow either. No, you wanted to try your new camping pillow for MDS, do you? My bag that I stuff clothes in, which is the exact same as yours. Yeah, this is pretty much a camping pillow anyway. These are just all my clothes stuffed in a bag is what I'm trying to say. Also, I know we're both really bundled up right now, but I have been very pleasantly surprised with the temperature tonight. Yeah, I am not cold at all for sure. And we took a polar plunge. The only downside, which is year round, I guess you can't have a fire in this campground. Even though we're going to bed super early, we did stay up late enough to see all of the stars come out. Oh my gosh. So good. Like framed by the canyon as we can hear the water. So check this out. It's a bag, but it's also a pillow. Oh, I didn't know it turned inside out. Yeah, it's got a soft fleece for your head. Way better. Oh, it's so soft. But really, it's just a bag. So, I'm going to stuff my coat in the bag and that's going to be my pillow. He bought this for MDS, so he's testing it to see if every time he moves, it's like kind of sounds like a trash bag. It's very soft. I love when I'm sleeping in a tent and there's some white noise to drown out anything that could be crawling around out there. Ghost. No. Love you. Love you. See you in the morning.

[Music] [Music] [Music] Thanks. That might be the longest I've slept in a year. I was in bed for 11 hours last night. It was the perfect temperature. I like to sleep a little cold so that I can bundle up. Perfect. Just warming up a little more water for oatmeal and then we'll get the day started.

[Music] So, the plan for today is to hike to the confluence, which is where Havsu Creek meets the Colorado River. It's a 16 1/2 mile roundtrip hike. Sorry, I'm trying not to fall. And it's where the bright green creek meets the Brown Colorado River. So, it's supposed to be pretty cool. And then along the way, we're going to see Mooney Falls and Beaver Creek Falls. One of which, from what I've heard, has pretty exciting climb [Music] down. Wa! Woo! That dropped off.

So, everybody calls this the Havasu Falls hike. So, I just assumed Havasu, which is the one we were in yesterday, was the best waterfall here. This is incredible. From up here, it looks like Mooney Falls is twice as big as Havasu. And I thought we had the best campsite in the whole place, but there's someone that has their tent set up right on the edge of the falls. I don't know if that's technically allowed, but that is epic. Wow. Waterfalls just hit different when you're the only one here. I could sit here all day, but we have more stuff to see.

Okay, so it is Mooney Falls that has the exciting descent. We could not figure out how to get down to the waterfall. Only reason I know this is the right path is because I watched another YouTube video on this. But to get to the confluence, you have to go down to the bottom. And the only way to get there is through this hole. Is this a joke? It's just a black hole into nothing in the middle of the earth. Are you sure? So, if you ever come, you're looking for this sign and then beside this sign is where you go down in the hole. Why don't you check it out for us? Make sure there's no bats down there. M. Yeah, this is awesome. I mean, it looks well traveled. Like, this has been touched. Like, this is a good sign. Problem is, if we don't do this hike fast enough, we have to climb back up this in the dark tonight. And it's already dark. I guess there are nice steps. What an adventure. This is it. I think this is the first of a couple. It looks like you're being birthed right now. Wow. This is incredible. Cara has just descended into the second hole without me. This one's got a few more safety precautions. We've got a rope. Oh, it's not near as steep. They put the chain in the flat one. Wow. This is epic. Down we go. What happens now? We hold on to the chain and try not to fall on these wet, slippery stairs. Woo! This is actually so sketch. Just straight down a cliff. Now that we've added a little danger in, this is a real adventure. This is so fun. You're crushing it. So good. Oh my god. This is nuts. I feel like if we were anywhere else like paying to do this experience, we would have helmets on. We would be wearing a harness. We would be clipped into these chains and we don't have any of that. So, we're just flying down this slippery cliff all alone. We still have a little ways to go. We're almost there. We survived. We survived the way down. We still have to go back up. Oh my god. This is the best hike I've ever been on. Woo! It's cold down at the bottom of Mooney Falls. This is awesome. For some reason, no one else is down here. This is epic. I'm stoked. Stoked. That is what we just came down. We started up top, went through the rock, climbed these chains, and the final ladders. Nice work. Miracle. I can't believe we're going down. Got to think about that later. I uh don't want to overdo this, but we are the only ones here.

All right, we've just reached our first of what will be many stream crossings today. This feels so wrong. Frasier, go for it. Oh, they're filling up. It's cold. Apologies for how much thigh you're having to see. Well, I gracefully tried to find a way around that wouldn't get my pants wet, but that didn't work. Oh, yeah. Pants are wet. Pants are wet. Okay, not totally soaked. A little deeper than expected. Nice. Kept the pants dry and everything. Yes. In fairness, I can see why some people would want to do this hike in the summer. There's a lot of [Music] [Applause] [Music] water. Oh my gosh. Hi, cuties. There are three mountain goats right in front of us just basking in the sunshine twitching their little ears. I was not expecting to see wildlife on this trail. They clearly do not care that we're here. At this point, we're so close. I'm nervous. There's not really anywhere for me to hide if this thing decides he wants to horn me. All right, don't come off this cliff at me. See you later. I've never been this close to a mountain goat before. This is awesome. Slightly scary, but awesome. A little bet. I think everything's [Music] empty. Are you okay? I think I'm going to get wet. This one's going to get the pants. Oh, yeah. That's it. It's just deep enough to make me feel like I peed my pants.

[Music] The landscape has completely changed. We've gone from big green trees to shrubs and cactuses. Nice. At least it's not wet and slick. Yeah, this piece is coming apart. Beaver Falls is totally different than the first two. No portion of it falls more than 10 ft, but it just has these beautiful terraces. Yeah, it's just majestic in a totally different way. I really like it here. Kind of looks like uh Niagara Falls but smaller. Like the way that it's shaped. I was reading a sign back there that says it's all formed by lime. So, the water running underground picks up a high concentration of lime and then when there's debris like sticks and leaves in the water, the lime builds up on those sticks and leaves and over years and years and years and years, it fors these beautiful travertine terraces. We have actually missed the trail a handful of times. The only thing that marks it is just kind of common sense, like where you feel like most people have been walking. But there are these teeny tiny Ouch. Cactus got me. There are these little pink ribbons tied on trees here and there. They're really easy to miss and often times they're not the direction that we think it's supposed to be. Like look at this. Oh dear. Oh, like I was saying, they're easy to miss. And we've done it multiple times. So if it gets dark, we're for sure getting lost. Hopefully I didn't get anyone too excited about seeing the confluence this morning because we just passed a sign that said we still have six more miles to go and it was pretty hard to see. But I'm pretty sure the sign says don't start after 10:30 a.m. It's almost 1:00. So in a rare moment on this channel, we're going to make the responsible decision and start heading back to camp. still alive. Right side to changing our plans is my legs are way less tired and we had time to go for a swim in Mooney Falls. It would have been too bad to pass that up. And at least we don't have to do this in the dark. Have to climb straight back up that cliff.

So, tonight for dinner, we are having African peanut stew. And this is giving me a chance to put another piece of MDS equipment to the test. This little thing is going to be my stove for the week, assuming it works tonight. The legs pull out like that. It sits on the table. You put this uh solid fuel block down in the middle, and that is supposed to bring water to a boil. I also didn't read how I'm supposed to light this. I think Wow, I got hot. Doesn't feel near as powerful as the stove. Pretty cool, though. It's a good day I'm test. It's a good day I'm testing this because the first one did not boil water. I'm so hungry. The Jet Boil works in like 5 seconds. I'm glad he's testing his stuff. That's what it sounded like. All right, let's see how warm it is. Not even close. Really? I don't think the second one's going to boil it either. Dang. Well, two of the little blocks couldn't boil 10 ounces of water. So, glad I tested that. We'll have to figure out a plan B. Still not bubbling. I now have a whole new appreciation for this stove. Finally. How long did that take? About 2 and 1/2 minutes, I had to guess. Yay. We still have to wait 20 minutes for this to rehydrate. So, it's not quite dinner time yet, but we are closer than before. I'm so excited. It doesn't look good. M delicious. Kind of tastes like chili. Better than the ramen. Oh my god. Yeah, this is great. It's so like savory. We're also very hungry. We don't even have enough food to get us out of here tomorrow. Like we're going to have to stop at the grocery store. I feel like normally you can't say that when you're hiking, but here you can. We would survive. I would be grumpy, but we would survive. I can't get over how good this is. Great. Challenge him. I got to take a picture of it. Last river crossing.

Good morning. Today we make the 10mi hike back out to the top of the canyon. When we started this trip, we were curious whether or not it was going to be a good idea to come in off season. I was just so surprised at how easy it was to get those permits. Now, I haven't been here in summer, but given the choice right now, I think I would actually choose to come during the winter over the summer because the hike in and out is long and it's hot in winter. I can only imagine how hot it gets during summer. So much more enjoyable hike. There's nobody here and I would take having the place to myself all day over being a little bit warmer. In summary, I don't think you can go wrong no matter what time of year you come here. Thanks for watching and we will see you in the next one after a very long 10mi hike back to the top.

All right, thought I'd close it out by proving that we just hiked 10 miles out of the canyon in 5 and 1/2 hours. And we didn't take one of those. We could have, but we didn't. And I'm going to have the blizzards to prove it. I told Nate I would go get the camera because his pack probably weighs five times what mine does. He's carrying everything and I have like five pairs of socks, my makeup bag. So, we're not allowed to film the horses, but kind of looks like it's smiling. Yeah.

[Music]