What You Need To Know About Havasu Falls

Get Oriented

History & Background

Havasu Canyon is a remote adventure destination located in the Havasupai Indian Reservation, known for its waterfalls: Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls. The Indian reservation is surrounded entirely by Grand Canyon National Park, in Arizona. The capitol, Supai, is situated deep in Havasu Canyon, the largest tributary canyon to Grand Canyon, and 8 miles from the nearest road. It is only accessible by helicopter, foot, or mule. It is the only place in the US where mail is still carried out by mule. The word ‘Havasupai’ means “people of the blue-green waters,” due to the turquoise-hued waters that flow through Havasu Creek. The presence of travertine, a type of limestone that is formed at mineral hot springs, results in the amazing blue-green color of the water.

The Havasupai lived in this area for centuries before non-Indian settlers came. The confiscation and reduction of their native lands created tension, and the tribe fought for many years to recover their lands to what they are today. Tourism is a large part of their economy now, and in 2008 a large part of their infrastructure was wiped out when a dam broke and caused severe flooding in the canyon. The tribe operates a campground, museum, general store, and cafe and they receive approximately 500 visitors a day.

• 1882: Pres. Chester Arthur establishes the Havasupai Indian Reservation with 518 acres

• 1919: Grand Canyon National Park established

• 1968: Tribe wins a legal case saying the lands were taken illegally

• 1975: Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act returns 188,077 acres to the Indian Reservation

The Havasupai are intimately connected to the land and water. When you enter their land, be respectful, as you are entering their home.

Hike Stats

• Mileage: 20+ miles roundtrip

• Elevation Change: 2400 ft. In the first 1.5 miles the trail descends about 1,200 ft, then flattens out

• Experience Level: Moderate. This was our first backpacking trip!

• Best Time To Visit: Spring (or Fall)

• Water Temperature: approx. 70 degrees year-round

• Waterfalls: Little Navajo, Fifty Foot, Havasu (100ft), Mooney (200ft), Beaver

Weather

Spring: Highs in the 80’s, Lows in the 50’s, slightly cooler than September-October. Better for hiking.

Summer: Highs in the 90’s, Lows in the 60’s. Havasu Trail is closed when temperatures are over 115 degrees. July - August is monsoon season and the canyon may experience flash flooding, which can cause safety concerns and trails will close down.

Fall: Highs in the 80’s, Lows in the 50’s, slightly warmer than March-June. Better for swimming.

Winter: Havasu Trail is closed to the public during December and January

Reservations + Permits

The first step to planning a trip to Havasu Canyon is securing your hiking reservation. Yes, everyone is required to have a reservation. Campground bookings go on sale February 1st at 8am Arizona time (10am Eastern), and notoriously sell out within hours. ~new~ Starting in 2020, all visitors to Havasupai are required to register an account on their reservations site. The key to booking a reservation is perseverance.

My experience with the reservation site is dealing with hours of frustration as the site crashes endlessly. After about two hours of the site crashing and restarting the booking process hundreds of times (yes, literally hundreds), I was so surprised and ecstatic when I was finally able to complete my booking!

If you want to make a reservation, go ahead and check out the Havasupai Reservations site and create an account before reservations open. 2019 campground reservations were between $300-$375 per person for 3 nights. Decide ahead of time how many people are in your party, and what dates are feasible (considering airfare, PTO, etc).

Pro Tip: Perseverance pays… Booking your reservation will be frustrating, and expect the site to crash - a lot - but keep at it, and your patience will be rewarded!

What To Pack

Packing List - Gear

• Backpack - 48-55L (Osprey Kestral 48L, Northface 55L)

• Mini Day Pack - 20L or smaller (Cotopaxi Luzon 18L)

• Tent + Footprint - 5lbs max (Kelty Tn2)

• Sleeping Bag - 3lbs max (Big Agnes, Marmot)

• Inflatable Sleeping Pad (Klymit)

• Camelbak (2L) + spare water bottle (750mL)

• Small Camp Stove (Soto Amicus - $44.95 at REI)

• Fuel Canister

• Headlamp, Fresh Batteries

• Quick Drying Towel - Large (Matador)

• Rope - 30 ft of Paracord for Clothes Line

• Dry Bag

• 3 Ziploc Bags for Trash Bags

• Post-Hike Kit - leave this in the car (fresh clothes, towel, water, snacks, wipes, deodorant)

Packing List - Food

For reference, we packed enough food for each person to eat 2,500 calories per day, while staying under 2lbs of food per day.

• 1 Salami

• 1 Block of Cheddar Cheese

• 8 Flour Tortillas

• Plantain Chips

• Almonds

• Peanut Butter (8 individual)

• Nutella (8oz jar)

• Mountain House Meal Pouches (2 breakfasts, 3 dinners) - chili mac with beef, lasagna are highly recommended

• Clif Bars (4)

• Propel Packets

Packing List - Photography

• iPhone

• Nikon D3100

• Tripod - for long exposures and selfies

• Remote Shutter Release - for star trails and selfies

• Neutral Density Filter - for shooting silky smooth waterfalls

• Extra Batteries

Optional

• Water Purification Tablets - up to you. The natural spring water at the top of the campsite is safe to drink.

• Rat Sack - grab one of the plastic buckets and store all your food in there - make sure your bucket has a screw-on lid.

• Hammock - we didn’t use ours as much as we thought we would

• Flip Flops - would be nice to wear after long hours in hiking boots

Photo Gallery

Itinerary

Activity Highlights - What To See

• Hualapei Hilltop - nearest entrance to Havasu Canyon trailhead, parking + restrooms available

• Supai Village - 8 miles from Hilltop, 2 miles from campground. Check in, stock up on snacks, visit the café and museum

• Little Navajo Falls & Fifty Foot Falls - in between Supai Village and Havasu Falls, good swimming spot on top of Little Navajo

• Havasu Falls - located at upper end of campsite; shaded in morning and sunny in afternoon

• Mooney Falls - located at lower end of campsite; requires steep descent on slippery ladders; rope swing on far side of the island at the base into travertine pool

• Beaver Falls - located 2 miles past Mooney Falls; leave early am for least traffic + best lighting; good swimming in afternoon

• Colorado River Confluence - located 8 miles past Mooney Falls; strenuous all-day hike must start before 11am

Basic Itinerary and Trail Notes

The Day Before: Getting Closer…

• Drive to Peach Springs and stay at Hualapai Lodge (65 miles or 1.5 hrs from trailhead)

Day One: Arrival

• 4am: Leave Peach Springs, start driving

• 5-6am: Start hiking from Hualapai Hilltop (need 2-3L water)

  • 3.5 hrs to Supai Village (8 miles) to check in with tourist office (need permit, id, cc)

  • 1 hr from Supai to Campsite (2 miles)

• 1pm: Finish setting up camp

• Relax and swim in the creek, check out Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls

• Cook dinner and go to sleep!

Trail Notes for Hiking to the Confluence - Day Two

• 6am: Early morning wake up call - worth it!

• Venture to the base of Mooney Falls via natural rock tunnels and slippery step ladders.

• At the base of Mooney Falls:

  • Trail to Beaver Falls starts to the left of Mooney looking downriver taking the higher route over the hill

• Hike 3 miles through Jurassic Park scenery to Beaver Falls. Keep an eye out for Bighorn Sheep! Multiple river crossings.

  • Beaver Falls is my favorite falls, featuring multiple travertine terraces, perfect for swimming and sunbathing in afternoon

  • At the giant Palm Tree:

    • Take a left at palm tree -> start of Beaver Falls + photo op

    • Take a right at palm tree -> ladder to birds eye view and base of falls, best views

• Trek another 4 miles past Beaver to reach the confluence. Do not go past Beaver if it’s after 11am.

  • Just after Beaver Falls at top of ladders, keep to the right looking downriver and you’ll see a sign for entering Grand Canyon National Park (you’ll be pretty high up on the canyon wall at this point)

  • Trail goes high above Beaver Falls for a ways, then a steep descent against the cliff face following cairns

  • Prepare for up to waist-deep water and multiple river crossings (8+ crossings one way, 16+ total)

  • Wear sturdy shoes that are comfortable when wet for long distances (like running shoes + socks)

• The Narrows: A quarter-mile stretch of narrow sandstone cliffs and waist deep water with loose sandy bottom.

  • At the last set of falls before The Narrows, cross to the left hand side of the canyon looking downriver. Look up the canyon wall for the trail continuing high and dry above The Narrows to the Confluence.

  • You might be able to swim through the Narrows, but it is not recommended to swim in the Colorado River due to swift moving currents.

• Pro Tip: Be careful when returning to Beaver Falls from Confluence - a section of the trail markers were washed away during a flood and it’s easy to go the wrong way here. Remember your steep descent from the canyon above Beaver Falls down to the creek? On the return trip, you will be crossing the creek from left to right (facing upstream) then ascending the cliff, before the fork in the canyon and definitely before you get to the base of Beaver Falls.

• Collapse at your campsite, you’ve made it!

Day Three: Havasu and Mooney

• Sleep in

• Do some yoga poses or stretches because you’ll be sore

• Relax and swim at Havasu Falls in the morning before it gets crowded

• Eat lunch at campsite

• Relax, take a nap, and swim at Mooney Falls in the afternoon

  • At some point we noticed a squirrel ate through our tent door, even though we didn’t keep any food in our tent

• Eat dinner, sleep some more

Additional Resources

Travel Journal from our High Desert Road Trip: Additional Destinations

We bookended our trip to Havasu Falls with two additional segments - a Las Vegas, Nevada segment and a Death Valley to Mammoth Lakes segment. There are so many unique destinations in the High Desert area between Arizona, Nevada, and California. Since we were already going to be out in that area, we wanted to extend our trip on either side to explore more of what the Southwest has to offer. You can read more details about each segment in my travel journal, linked below.

Trail Map

I’ve marked all the important waypoints on the Havasu Falls trail all the way to the Confluence. There were three points in particular that I wanted to call out to help future navigations. These three are marked with a caution symbol on the map (white triangle with !)

1. How to find the trailhead from Mooney to Beaver Falls

2. How to find the high and dry route above the Narrows

3. Returning from the Confluence, how to stay on the trail back to Beaver Falls

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