Your Ultimate Havasupai Falls Guide and Why It Should Be #1 on your Bucket List
- Jennifer Evans
- Mar 18
- 11 min read
After backpacking the stunning Havasupai Falls, there is no wonder it is such a high bucket list item for some of the world’s most enthusiastic outdoor adventures.
Not only does the Grand Canyon come to life, but experiencing the Supai culture, trying the famous “Indian Frybread,” going on some thrilling day hikes, sleeping under the stars, and seeing the beautiful crystal clear turquoise waters make for a truly unforgettable experience.
THE BASICS
Havasupai Falls is a 20-mile round-trip backpacking trail. If you win the lottery (which is talked about soon), you hike 10 miles down the canyon, camp or stay in the lodge for 3 nights, and hike 10 miles back up.
The first mile of your trip down, you experience “switchbacks” where you zigzag down the canyon walls at a fairly steep grade.
After the switchbacks are complete, the hike still includes hills but ultimately becomes much flatter, allowing you to catch up on time (which we really needed).
Eight miles into your hike, you come across the Supai Village where there are a few cafes, a small grocery store, and other amenities (that will also be talked about soon) followed by the final 2-mile descent into the campground.
It’s estimated to take approximately 4-6 hours to hike down and 5-7 hours to hike up, although these numbers can change drastically depending on your pack weights, experience levels, and speed.
TERMINOLOGY
Now, let’s get our terminology straight.
The word “Havasupai” means people of the blue and green waters and is the name of the entire Indian Reservation. There is no singular waterfall called “Havasupai Falls” and this term that’s often used refers to the group of waterfalls you can discover while you’re in the Havasupai Reservation.
Probably the most famous waterfall in the reservation is called “Havasu Falls” and is likely the waterfall you’ve seen in photos on the internet. The trail takes you right over the top of Havasu Falls as you make your final descent into the campground and its sheer size and power behind it takes your breath away (even though you’re already out of breath carrying your bags).
The word “Supai” refers to the village and the people who live in it. The Supai people have lived in the Grand Canyon for more than 800 years and 8 miles into the trek, you’ll come across the Supai Village that has different amenities and offerings.
LOTTERY PROCESS
The only way you can hike Havasupai Falls is by entering the annual lottery which can be done at this link. If you’re lucky, you can find some open spots once the lottery is filled but spots often fill up FAST.
The lottery opens February 1st each year but you can pay a small fee to enter the lottery early which is typically done in December. Their busiest months are during the summer when it’s warm enough to get in the water but if you want to increase your chances of winning, sign up for an off-season date when the weather is cooler. The cooler weather also makes the 10-mile hiking days a lot smoother and many medical emergencies that happen here are because of the heat in the summer.
We went in March and while we couldn’t swim without dry suits or more bravery and the nights were cold, it made for a much more comfortable hike down and hike up since we weren’t fighting the desert heat. We also enjoyed the slightly smaller crowds which led to a more peaceful experience.
METHODS OF TRAVEL
The only way to get in and out of the village, even for locals, is by hiking, horseback, or helicopter.
At first, we planned to hike all the way down with our bags and also hike all the way back up with our bags. However, after realizing how challenging this hike was for us with packs that weighed 25% of our body weight, we ultimately decided to let a horse carry our bags back up to the top for us. This can be booked at the Ranger Station at the campground or at the Tourist Information Center in the Supai Village. You can reserve the “mules” through your online portal if you win the lottery but if you are like us and had a last-second change of heart, you can check to see if there’s a horse available for your hike up.
Helicopter rides are also available for tourists. However, there are no reservations for helicopters, they only fly during certain weather conditions, the locals have the first priority, and they only fly on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from March 15th - October 15th with even more limited flight times outside of this window.
Our hike out was on a Saturday so a helicopter was not an option and due to a snowstorm near Flagstaff and Winslow, the helicopter had to stop flying early on Friday so it could return to base safely. In fact, the snowstorm and altered flight times even led to the local cafe closing because they were unable to receive the resources they needed to remain open.
While the helicopter ride would be a fun option out of the canyon, it’s definitely not a reliable option so plan accordingly.
CAMPGROUND
The campground is located directly between Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls. There are some campsites covered by trees, some by the creek, and you can pick any open spots. Every spot DOES have a picnic table (so you don’t need to waste energy carrying camp chairs like we did unless you really want to) and you can’t get a “bad” campsite.
There are also three sets of bathrooms. One on the Havasu side, one on the Mooney side, and one right in the middle. They are tall pit toilets (due to flooding) and have woodchips in the stalls for composting and some hand sanitizer directly outside the stalls.
Right at the campground entrance, there is also a Ranger Station if you have any questions or need anything while you are there. We visited this stand a couple of times and they were really kind and helpful.
Before entering the campground, there is the famous “Frybread Stand” which serves delicious frybread, Navajo Tacos, and some drinks. Be alarmed that they have some odd “hours” that aren’t always consistent but when you can catch them open, it’s 1000% worth the stop.
Lastly, there is also a natural spring that allows you to get fresh water that you don’t need to filter before using. We used this to refill our water bladders every morning before we left the campground.
SUPAI VILLAGE
Seeing the Supai Village was one of my favorite parts of this adventure as seeing other cultures is extremely fascinating to me.
As you get closer and closer to the village, you start to see Supai signs with an official sign notifying you that you have officially crossed into the village. There are strict rules about not taking photographs of the village, its people, or its horses and when you cross into the village, you can see why.
The trail takes you right through several parts of the village including residential areas. You can literally see kids playing in their front yards and the Supai people are giving us such an amazing gift to enter their village - the least we can do is respect their privacy.
After you make it through the initial residential area, you enter the “downtown” area of the Supai Village. Here, you’ll find a Tourist Information Center, a gift shop, a cafeteria, a helipad, two schools, a grocery store, a post office, a church, and the Lodge.
The Tourist Information Center helps with any questions you may have along the way and will help if you want to reserve a last-minute horse. They also are the workers who have access to the gift shop directly next door if you want to see their gift options. Inside, they have t-shirts, tank tops, locally made jewelry, postcards, stickers, magnets, artwork, and more.
The cafeteria was a great way to pack in some “comfort food” before living off dehydrated meals and snacks for a couple of days. We had the opportunity to eat here for one lunch/dinner and one breakfast. For lunch/dinner, they had wings, chicken nuggets, fries, frybread, sandwiches, salads, burgers, and more. For breakfast, they had biscuits and gravy, breakfast plates with different options, pancakes, and drinks like juice and milk. There were plenty of places to sit and they even have hooks outside for your backpacks.
Right next to the cafeteria was the helipad which made for some amazing views while were eating. It felt like the helicopter was landing every 20 minutes or so and sometimes, they’d land all the way to pick up or drop off people or goods. Other times, it would get low to the ground with a large net hanging from it with goods inside and someone at the bottom would unclip the net from the helicopter and the helicopter would fly back away again. It was a really unique sight to see!
The two schools that are in town are a pre-school and an elementary school. We talked to some locals who discussed that kids will often leave the village for high school. There are a few high school options on other Indian Reservations that include boarding and kids will stay at their schools for the entire school year except for Summer Break and Winter Break. There are schools in Arizona, California, and Oklahoma that the Supai kids typically will go to.
The grocery store is an amazing addition to the Supai Village but be aware that it is definitely smaller than your traditional American grocery stores with limited options. They have plenty of “camping” type foods like rice and noodle packets, some cookie/chip options, and a small produce area. They also have things like medicine and lighters (which was good because we forgot our lighter) and some drinks and baking tins as well. The assortment is small, but it came in handy for us a couple different times.
The post office is directly next door to the grocery store and is one of the smallest little post offices I had ever seen. We were able to purchase postcards at the gift shop, write our son some letters, and send them through the mail which was such a special experience for us.
There are two churches in town off the trail, one right when you enter the village and one that’s in the “downtown” area. We did not explore these churches but they do have different services and meetings that the public are welcome to and these meetings and times are posted outside the churches.
Lastly, if you choose against sleeping at the campground and choose the Lodge instead, the Lodge is actually located in the Supai Village. There are some pros and cons to choosing the Lodge over camping. The Lodge is only 8 miles into your hike instead of 10 miles which is great for the treks in and out of the canyon. However, that means they are at least one mile each way from the different waterfalls making your middle days quite longer depending on which waterfalls you want to see. Some other pros include that you’re really close to the grocery store and cafeteria and you get to sleep in a temperature-controlled environment. However, this comes at quite a big cost difference compared to the campground as well.
You'll also see on different documentation that they still want you to wear medical masks in the Supai Village due to COVID-19. We brought masks with us just in case. However, we did not see anyone practicing this rule. You can technically get kicked out of the reservation for not wearing them/having them, so be sure to bring some just in case.
WATERFALLS
Let’s dive right into the best part… The waterfalls!
Havasupai Falls is known for its five primary waterfalls which are Fifty Foot Falls, Little Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls.
These are listed in the order you’ll see them hiking from the trailhead.
Fifty Foot Falls was an incredibly unique and short hike. While most of the Havasupai Falls experiences look like the clear desert, this hike looked like you stepped into a jungle with low-laying branches and brush. To get to the actual view of Fifty Foot Falls, you have to get your feet wet in some shallow water but the view is spectacular! This trailhead can be a little tricky to find and was the least visited waterfall in our experience.
Next, you’ll reach Little Navajo Falls which was such a pleasant surprise. This one is a much easier hike to find and conquer but the waterfalls are dispersed beautifully. Instead of a lot of water coming from one spot, the water is spread out into wider and gentler streams and this one had a little swimming area in it as well.
Next, as you approach the campground, you’ll come across the world-famous Havasu Falls. The hiking trail takes you over the top of Havasu Falls and you’ll immediately get a feel for how powerful it is. There is a steep descent after you come over the top of Havasu Falls. However, there is another trail that will let you see Havasu Falls from the bottom. If you veer off the main beaten path between two rows of cacti, you’ll start to see signs for Havasu Falls. At the bottom, there are picnic tables, logs, and a swimming area. You can sit so close to Havasu Falls that you can feel the mist off of it and it was such a peaceful place to sit and relax. There is no way to get a bad view of this waterfall.
Next, after you’ve walked through the entire campground, you’ll find Mooney Falls which was hands down, our absolute favorite. You begin a “regular looking” descent down a cliff face and all of a sudden, you start to see chains and tunnels. After hiking near the edge a few times and descending down some rock-formed tunnels, you reach the infamous “chains section” of this hike. Here, you are hiking down a steep, vertical, and wet trail and your only “safety mechanism” is to hold onto metal chains and rods that are embedded into the rock face. If you’ve ever done the Angel’s Landing hike at Zion National Park, it felt similar to the chains section on that hike, except a little bit sketchier. After you make it down the chain sections, you have a ladder to climb down and then you’ve reached the base of Mooney Falls. Here, there is a large area to swim and hang out before continuing to Beaver Falls if you so choose.
While we wanted to hike Beaver Falls, this is a bit more of an undertaking that requires some more planning. The hike from Mooney Falls to Beaver Falls is another 2-3 hours in each direction and includes several water crossings that vary in height. At the time we were there, the water was too cold for us to swim and other visitors were telling us that the water levels were up past their waist. Between our bodies being sore, knowing we had a 10-mile uphill hike coming up, and not having the proper attire to deal with the cold water, we ultimately decided against it. However, we heard nothing but amazing things about it and if we ever come back, we’d love to tackle this one too.
While Havasu Falls is typically the most well-known waterfall out of the five primary Havasupai Falls waterfalls, each one of them has its own unique beauty to it.
PRICES
We came to Havasupai Falls in March 2025 and as of our visit, here were the prices for different things:
Three-Night Campground Reservation - $450/person
Three-Night Lodge Reservation - $2,200 for a room of up to four people
Round Trip Mule Reservation - $400, can hold up to 4 bags weighing less than 35lbs each without anything hanging off the outside of the bag
One-Way Mule Reservation - $200, first come first serve, can hold up to 4 bags weighing less than 35lbs each without anything hanging off the outside of the bag
Helicopter Ride - $100/person, first come first serve, only on select days and during certain weather conditions
CONCLUSION
While there are a lot of logistics to figure out for the Havasupai Falls backpacking trip, it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that every outdoor enthusiast should add to their bucket list.
Between the gorgeous waterfalls, the stunning hikes, the interesting culture, and the amazing people you’ll meet along the way, this is worth every ounce of energy and every penny you have to put into it.
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