Wender·Vista
Mooney Falls
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileArizona
in Havasu Canyon, on the Havasupai Reservation

Mooney Falls

— — the turquoise the canyon keeps to itself.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The tallest of the waterfalls in Havasu Canyon, dropping about 200 feet into a travertine pool the colour of an oxidised copper roof. The descent from the rim runs through two short tunnels and down a series of chains and iron stakes set into the cliff. The fall is named for Daniel Mooney, a miner who died here in 1882. The water comes out of Havasu Creek and stays this colour all year because of dissolved calcium carbonate.

from the studio
Mooney Falls
— bring it home

Mooney Falls, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Mooney Falls

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Mooney Falls sits in Havasu Canyon on the Havasupai Reservation, a side canyon of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. The waterfall drops about 200 feet, the tallest in a chain that also includes Havasu Falls and Beaver Falls along Havasu Creek. Access is on foot only. The reservation village of Supai lies eight miles down the canyon from the Hualapai Hilltop trailhead, and the falls are a further mile and a half past the campground. All visits require a permit issued in advance by the Havasupai Tribe.

— the water

Havasu Creek runs out of a spring system that delivers high concentrations of dissolved calcium carbonate. As the water tumbles, the carbonate precipitates out and coats every surface it touches, building the travertine shelves and turning the pools a saturated turquoise. The colour holds through the year because the supply is groundwater rather than seasonal runoff. Flash floods in 2008 and 2010 reshaped the pool below the fall significantly, and the canyon downstream toward Beaver Falls is still recovering its old geometry.

— the visit

Permits are required and sell out within hours of release each February. There is no day-hiking; every visitor stays at least one night at the Havasupai campground or the Supai Lodge. The descent past Mooney from the campground passes through two travertine tunnels and down a near-vertical wall on chains and iron stakes installed by miners in the 1880s. The route is slick when wet and is not recommended in rain. The canyon closes during monsoon season flash-flood warnings.

— where
United States · Havasupai Reservation, Coconino County, Arizona
— within
Havasupai Reservation
— position
36.2461° N · 112.7019° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km N
Havasu Falls
waterfall
4 km S
Beaver Falls
waterfall
3 km N
Supai
village
12 km S
Confluence with the Colorado River
river confluence
N
Mooney Falls
Havasu Falls
Beaver Falls
Supai
Confluence with the Colorado River
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Mooney Falls — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

About 200 feet, the tallest waterfall in Havasu Canyon. The drop is significantly higher than Havasu Falls a mile upstream and Beaver Falls three miles downstream.

Havasu Creek carries high concentrations of dissolved calcium carbonate from spring sources. As the water tumbles, the carbonate precipitates, builds travertine shelves, and gives the pools a saturated turquoise reading.

Daniel Mooney, a miner who died here in 1882 attempting to descend the cliff on a rope. His body remained at the base of the falls for nearly a year before recovery.

On foot only. The trailhead is at Hualapai Hilltop in northern Arizona; the falls lie about ten miles down the canyon past Supai village. A tribal permit is required.

The route runs through two tunnels and down chains and iron stakes set into the cliff. It is slick when wet and requires care. The Havasupai Tribe closes the route during flash-flood warnings.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. People who have made the trip remember the colour of the pool below Mooney first. A Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as a returning piece of the canyon.

Reads at home in Coastal-modern, Biophilic, and warm Minimalist rooms. The turquoise pool against red travertine holds against natural wood and unbleached linen.

A single Large suits most sofas. For a taller wall the 4-tile Mural in a vertical arrangement carries the drop of the fall; the 9-tile Mural reads as a window into the canyon.

Yes, and it reads well there. Choose the Dura Satin finish, which is scratch-resistant and made for vertical wet installations. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure.

A soft microfibre cloth, slightly damp with water. No solvents, no abrasive pads. The colour lives in the surface and does not wear with normal cleaning.

— if this one stayed with you

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