The Complete Guide to Visiting Havasupai
In this blog I go over the details on reserving Havasupai permits, choosing the best campsite, the different waterfall hikes, provide tips, and more. If you want more information on the waterfalls, please read our other blog shown below
Havasupai is a beautiful 4 day 3 night backpacking trip in the Arizona Desert. These permits are extremely hard to get but absolutely worth all the effort to get them. There are 6 waterfalls you can explore plus the long hike to the confluence where Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River.
Havasupai Permit Details:
Campground reservations are $455 / person for 3 nights.
You can get a reservation for up to 12 people.
Permits are available from February to November.
There is a pre-sale registration before the public on-sale. This year the pre-sale opened from 8AM-5PM on January 5th - January 18th and the public on-sale started on February 1st. This may vary in 2025.
Registering for the pre-sale does not guarantee you permits but it does increase your chances of getting them.
To register for the pre-sale it costs $15 per person.
Before the pre-sale registration, make sure you create an account with Havasupai Reservations.
When applying for the permit, I recommend having multiple date options available to increase your chances of securing a Havasupai permit.
Note, if you do not get a permit for the season you should login to the Havasupai Reservations website and check for available permits. This is where people release their permits if they can’t go and you might be able to snag one last minute.
You can reserve a pack mule to carry your bags down to the campground. I talk more about this down below.
See more information about obtaining a permit here.
Other Havasupai Details:
This hike is 4 days & 3 nights.
It is a 10 mile hike from the start of the trailhead to the entrance of the campground.
Check-in is at Grand Canyon Caverns Inn - you HAVE to check-in here.
You can check-in anytime the day before up to 12PM on the day you hike in.
Whatever you hike in with you have to hike out with.
There are out houses at the campground.
There is a fresh water spigot available at the campground.
You can stay at a lodge and take a helicopter in but this blog only covers hiking in and staying at the campground.
About the Pack Mules:
$400 per mule round trip.
One Pack Mule can carry up to 4 bags.
Maximum weight: is 32 pounds per bag.
It is recommended to put your bags in a garbage bag or something similar to protect them while they are on the mule.
You need to reserve your pack mule at least 48-72 hours in advance. I recommend doing it sooner than later because there is a limited amount of pack mules and you might be put on a waitlist.
You need to obtain your pack mule tags no later than 9AM on the morning of your reservation.
You get your pack mule tags when you check in at the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn.
On the hike in you can drop your bags off at the top of the trailhead between 4AM - 10AM.
They estimate your bags to arrive to the campground around 5PM at the latest. Ours arrived a little earlier.
The bags get dropped off at the entrance of the campground.
On the hike out, you have to have your bags dropped off at the entrance of the campground no later than 6AM.
It is estimated that the bags will be dropped off at Hilltop around 12PM.
We arrived at the Hilltop at 7:15AM and instead of waiting there for our bags to arrive, we drove to one of the nearby towns, Seligman, to get breakfast and then drove back to grab our bags after.
For more information about the Pack Mule reservation click here.
About the Havasupai Campground:
The campsites are first come first serve.
The campground is about a mile long.
There is a creek on the left side and the river on the right side of the campground.
The ranger station is to the left of the campground entrance.
The fresh water spigot is about .2 miles from the campground entrance on the left.
Havasupai Falls is south of the campground entrance and Mooney Falls is on the North side of the campground.
The campsites on the south side of the campground sit on higher ground than the ones on the north side. This is important to consider in case of rain, as the lower campsites are at risk of flooding.
There are four bathrooms, one near the entrance of the campground, two near the middle, and one on the north side of the campground.
The bathrooms were decently clean, probably one of the cleanest outhouses I have used.
There are no sinks but they do provide hand sanitizer.
How to choose the best campsite:
I personally think the nicer campsites are on the north side of the campground.
It is a lot cooler by the river and this matters during the hot months.
The campsites are also a lot prettier.
The downsides to the north campsites are;
You are further from the fresh water spigot.
You have to be aware of the weather, if it is going to rain you risk your campsite getting flooded.
You are further from Havasu Falls.
You have a longer hike in and out.
Havasupai campground map we received.
When is the best time of year to visit Havasupai?
This is a hard question to answer because there are pros and cons to each month
February - April / October - November
Pros: Less crowded, temperature is cooler, and water is clearer.
Cons: Although the water stays typically around 70 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, the water might not be as enjoyable to swim in.
May - September
Pros: it is hotter so you can hangout and swim in the waterfalls all day without getting cold.
Cons: it is busier, it can be too hot, and monsoon season is from June - September.
In my opinion, I would say the best time to visit is April - May / September - October
This way you are still getting warmer weather but hopefully avoiding the 100 degree weather. You are also missing the height of monsoon season so the water will be clearer and you won’t have to worry about the flash floods. Additionally, you still have a chance to be able to hangout in the waterfalls all day.
How to get to Havasupai:
Drive: you need to drive your own car or rent a car.
We flew into Las Vegas and rented a car.
Stay at a hotel near the trailhead
Peach Springs, Seligman, and Kingman are the recommended cities to stay in.
We stayed at the Grand Canyon Cavern Inn in Kingman where you are required to check-in before of the hike.
The drive from the Inn to the trailhead is about ~1hr 30min drive.
We payed $140 for a room.
There is a parking lot at the beginning of the trailhead where you can leave your car. If the parking lot is full, people park on the side of the road leading up to the parking lot.
There is no parking fee.
Waterfalls and other attractions at Havasupai:
Havasu Falls - From the start of the trailhead it is a little over 9 miles. From the campground it is between .2 - 1 mile depending on where your campsite is located.
Mooney Falls - just on the other side of the campground, ~1mile from the campground entrance.
Havasu Falls
Hidden Falls
Beaver Falls - 7 mile hike round trip from the campground.
Hidden Falls, previously known as Navajo Falls - this is not listed on the website but it does exist. The trail is about a half mile from the campground.
Little Navajo Falls - Takes roughly a little less than a mile to get there from the campground entrance.
Mooney Falls
Beaver Falls
Fifty Foot Falls - is about a mile from the campground.
The Confluence - The furthest and longest hike. It took us roughly 17 miles round trip from our campsite.
Supai Village - you walk through the village on your way in. If you get tired of eating dehydrated food, consider coming here for one of your lunches to switch up your meals. Supai village is about 8 miles from the Hilltop and 2 miles from the campground.
Fried Bread Stand - we unfortunately missed our opportunity to try it but some of our friends got it and they said it was really good. Note: they only take cash.
Little Navajo Falls
The Confluence
Fifty Foot Falls
Please note the distances listed above are an estimation / the distance it took us. The campground is about a mile long so the distance can be different depending on where your campsite is.
For more information on the waterfalls and what we rank them, visit our Havasupai Waterfall Rankings blog.
What to pack for Havasupai:
Water filter
Jet Boil
External Battery
Lightweight tent and rainfly
Quick dry towel
Watershoes
Swimsuit(s)
Hat
Sunglasses
Mosquito repellent
Sunscreen
Headlamp
Daypack
Light rain jacket or poncho
Bear canister
Snacks
Dehydrated food
Biodegradable soap
Lots of electrolytes
Nice to Haves:
Mini fan - definitely a luxury but I wish I had this. Only need during the warmer months
Clothes line to dry your clothes
Tips:
We did this hike at the end of July, most of these tips are for those who are hiking during the hot months.
There is no water at the beginning of the trailhead, make sure to fill up on water ahead of time.
If you go during the hot months, you do not need a sleeping bag. We brought sheets and didn’t even use those.
If you go during the hot months, get a campsite by the river, it is significantly cooler! I am telling you it is HOT at night and the heat radiates off the rocks, it barely cools down.
If you are too hot at night, get your quick-dry towel wet and drape it over your body while you sleep.
Don’t listen to the hours on the fried bread stand, they don’t go by them. If you want fried bread and you see it open, get it then and don’t push it off. We missed it 3 times.
Note, they only take cash.
If you plan to do the confluence, start the hike at 4:30AM. The hike is about 18 miles round trip and you really want to miss as much of the heat as you can.
When hiking out, we recommend leaving no later than 3:30am, that way you will miss the heat on the switchback up to the Hilltop.