Navajo Falls (Lower Navajo Falls)

More detailed description of the geological history of waterfalls in Havasu Canyon is provided in the article about Havasu Falls.

Between Supai village and the Colorado River in Havasu Canyon are five-six larger waterfalls and countless smaller travertine terraces. The main waterfalls (starting from Supai) are:

• Fiftyfoot Falls
• Navajo Falls
• Havasu Falls
• Mooney Falls
• Beaver Falls

The current Lower Navajo Falls (as well as the nearby, smaller Upper Navajo Falls or New Navajo Falls) formed after the massive floods on August 16-17, 2008. For several hours the amount of water in Havasu Creek increased almost 100 times (1) and the extreme power of the water partly washed out the earlier travertine formations of the previous Navajo Fall. The mudflow blocked the former route of the stream and a new waterfall formed in a new location.

The earlier Navajo Falls was some 18-20 m high. The previous waterfall was not a permanent feature either: before the floods in August 1955, this waterfall was 23 m high. The site of the former Navajo Falls now is dry, with its travertine formations still seen.

Surprisingly fast the stream formed new travertine terraces above and below the falls and, even if the landscape has changed, the waterfalls of emerald-colored Havasu Creek are as beautiful as ever.

Behind the curtain of falling water is a small cave.

People may like to jump in the deep pool below the falls but this is a disrespectful action to the local people and, also quite dangerous due to the constantly changing locations of sharp stones.

References

1. 2008 flood alters landscape of famed Grand Canyon site, ABC News, August 17, 2009. Accessed on January 4, 2023.
2. Theodore S. Melis, William M. Phillips, Robert H. Webb, and Donald J. Bills. When the Blue-Green Waters Turn Red. Historical Flooding in Havasu Creek, Arizona, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 96—4059. 1996. Accessed on January 4, 2023.