Dozens report illness after visiting Havasupai Falls

Dozens of hikers who visited Havasupai Falls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon this summer are leaving one of America's most treasured national parks with an unknown sickness.

In some cases, groups had to leave the canyon by helicopter because they were unable to hike out.

One of the groups first thought the sickness was an isolated issue, but the experienced backpackers weren’t the only ones in a messy situation.

The Blair family joined a group of 11 and set out on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Grand Canyon to see Havasupai Falls.

"The water's really blue," Mary Blair said. "You don't need a filter."

Forty miles in four days – the trip was planned years in advance and fell on Arizona’s hottest weekend of the year.

"The hike in was not great. I was getting hot," she said.

The trip took a turn on the final night as the group was set to make the 10-mile hike out of the canyon.

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[lindab]

'400 people and unsanitary bathroom conditions' and they drank the water without filtering or sanitizing it? That's just dumb.

[kierab]

I hope she’s referring to a camera filter… and when she said her son had diarrhea and vomiting all night and she had him in the river🤢 I’m sure that didn’t help the people downstream.

[tshaffer]

Bacteria in the water from all the people and the heat .It was one giant petri dish.

[marycyardley]

An "experienced hiker" saying, "the water is very blue you don't need a filter, " tells me, she is NOT an experienced hiker.

[MarkKilian-tc]

I am blessed to have seen that area BEFORE the throngs of crowds and disgusting conditions. I also paid $50 for a long weekend, not $500. Crowds have ruined just about everything in Arizona, sadly.

[The_Rain_Song]

Just because the water is a pretty blue color doesn’t mean you shouldn’t filter it. These hikers probably drank some upstream campers unsanitary camping conditions.

[GodwinIsaac]

Am I the only one who thought she was referring to photo filters not water filters? 🤔

[moretoliving]

Her credentials of a "hiker" went out the window immediately when she said "water is blue and you don't need a filter". YOU NEVER DRINK UNFILTERED WATER ON A HIKE. Sweet lord... and its common knowledge that water in the havasupai should not be drank straight out of the bottle. It is filled with literally EVERYTHING.

[makenafelts]

I filtered allll my water and still got norovirus down there. I would advise NOT going down there anytime soon. Everyone was getting sick. We’re talking uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea for hours and unable to keep down fluids in a 100degree canyon. We were some of the lucky ones that were able to somehow make the hike out in the middle of the night- there’s no guarantee you get a spot on the helicopter out so it’s quite the gamble if you get sick. I’m sure it’s turned into a very serious situation for many hikers down there. Like I said, we were some of the lucky ones

[Dharmarenee]

People actually think they can see microbes with naked eye.

[oliverheaviside]

Experienced hikers not using a water filter. Maybe experienced, but not very bright.

[tetrabromobisphenol]

In the Boy Scouts we were taught to filter the water AND boil it. Mysteriously none of us ever got sick even on multi-day hikes. These geniuses on the other hand...

[lifenotbills]

“Experienced hikers”, my ass. These people are willfully ignorant. Filter or treat water with iodine. Don’t camp near water or wash or take a dump near water. If you’re pooping in the woods follow all the appropriate protocol dictated by volume of foot traffic and specific ecosystem. At minimum that means 200 feet from any water source or campsite and bury it in a hole 6 to 8 inches deep.

As a lifelong experienced backpacker, I don’t have any compassion for people who do stupid, careless things in the Wilderness, with the exception of kids who are taken there not knowing better. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t belong in the Wilderness.

[Boombixer]

"Why is the water at Havasupai so blue?
Havasu Falls - Lake Havasu City
Calcium carbonate and magnesium occur naturally in the waters that feed Havasu Falls. The waters get their blue color from the magnesium."

Can anyone guess what the side effects of magnesium are?
Experienced my butt.

[OutWestRedDirt]

I'm a hiker...the water was blue so it's safe.
My son's a 4 star athlete. !?!?!
What a KOOK.

[VB-fooc]

You can tell the people who’ve NEVER played Oregon Trail 🤨😒

[idahomountainlover]

Just because the water is “really blue” doesn’t mean you don’t need a filter. What a ridiculous statement.

[sara_c]

I love how the woman saying you don't need to filter the water is the same one lowering her sick child into the water. Way to spread the love, lady. 😅

[seriatim]

Never, ever drink water from Havasupai Creek without treatment. You are downstream of the village. You will get very ill.

[blaiseaimee]

This happened last year at the Grand Canyon. It's Norovirus. Why is it happening so much now? Crowds have been going to these tourists spots for decades.