Planning a trip to havasu Falls? Check out these tips before!

Before I went to Havasu Falls I felt like I had a million questions. When I left Havasu Falls I felt like I had a million suggestions. Here are a few main points I think would be helpful before you leave for your trip! If you have a question that isn’t answered please comment below or send me an email. Havasu Falls is one of the most wonderful places in the world but it can also be overwhelming the first time you visit, I hope this post helps you feel a bit more prepared.

1.HOW DO I GET A PERMIT for havasu falls?

The golden ticket. I feel very fortunate that I got to visit this stunning place, especially after learning how many people try to call for tickets and they don’t end up getting them. Permits go on sale at the beginning of February and typically sell out in a few hours. You can either call the Tourism Office repeatedly until you get someone or try and book them online. Ultimately it’s kind of the luck of the draw. The online booking system has the potential to freeze and the tourism office is very busy and only has a few employees so you might not get a call through to them. I personally got to go because someone from the original group got hurt and couldn’t make it. I personally didn’t go through this process but I heard you just have to be persistent and lucky! Call as soon as they go on sale. You can either call (928) 448-2180 or (928) 448-2237 or check HERE for online updates on permits for 2019! Camping permits range from $140-$200 per person.

2. When is the best time of year to visit Havasu Falls?

The campground is closed for December and January so those months are out.  March, April, and May would be my personal picks. We went the end of April and it was hot but not scorching and we didn’t have to worry about monsoon season that stretches from June to the end of September. Flash floods are possible during these months.  I would also think October and November would be beautiful there. 

3. How long can and should you camp at Havasu Falls?

We stayed for 2 days and 1 night, it personally wasn’t enough for me and the longest you can go is 4 days and 3 nights. If I go again I’ll do 3 days 2 nights, I think that is plenty of time to see everything!  

4. How Long Does the hike to the campground take?

I read so many different answers for this so I thought I’d just add my info for how long it took us. From the hilltop to the town of Supai it took us 3 1/2 hours. We stopped once for a quick snack and a few bathroom breaks. (No there aren’t any bathrooms on the way you just have to pop a squat behind a bush.) Then from the town of Supai it is about 45 minutes to the campground.

5.The History of the Havasupai Tribe

This is obviously just a suggestion but the history of this area and tribe is so interesting! I recommend checking out some books about the area or at least reading the About section on the Havasupai website. This tribe has lived in this area for over 1,000 years and it’s so wonderful to learn about their traditions. It makes it so special when you arrive. On the plane ride out I learned that these two rocks are very sacred to the Havasupai Tribe. Legend has it that when these rocks fall over the tribe and area will be no more. It was so cool to read that and then 48 hours later walk into the town and see these rocks and know their story! 

6. WHAT SHOES DO I WEAR?

Wear hiking boots for the trek in and out from the campground. I can’t stress that enough. No, the trail isn’t terribly difficult and the path is flat but it is very sandy at times and your shoes will get filled with sand. Even my hikers got a bit in them. Also, you will get terrible blisters from the sand from it rubbing against your sweaty feet in your tennis shoes! On the way in, we saw a guy hiking out with duct tape on his tennis shoes and thought, “What’s up what that!?” But Katie ended up buying a huge roll of duct tape at the general store on the way out to prevent the sand. Sand covers are an option but I think it’s best with hikers. Here is a picture of Katie’s shoes at the end of the hike. Sorry Katie I am cracking up.

7. Can you really take a helicopter in and out of the canyon?

If I were to go back and do this hike again, I’d still hike in (because it’s the best feeling ever after a long hike in the sun and ending at that blue water) but I’d take the helicopter on the way out. It’s only $85 (that’s pretty damn cheap for being able to fly over the Grand Canyon) plus you don’t have to make that trek out, it’s not near as exciting as the hike in and way more exhausting. We couldn’t take the helicopter because it doesn’t run on Saturday and Sunday. But if you’re here during the week I definitely recommend it! Can you imagine flying over this!?

8. Start the hike by sunrise

If you arrive in time I recommend starting the hike by sunrise. I’d do this for many reasons- fewer crowds, cooler temperatures, and you can get to the campground before noon, set up camp and have the whole day to explore. We started right before sunrise and only needed our headlamps for the first 30 minutes or so.

9. Eat a large meal before and plenty of water

This might seem like duh, but it’s a good reminder! You’re going to want a lot of energy for the next few days and it’s easy to get dehydrated in this part of the world. There’s only fast food within an hour of the start of the trail so either pack something or stop in a surrounding town before.

10. Can I reserve a camping spot?

All are first come first served at the campground. The campground is a mile long with 200 spots though, so you’ll be able to find something! Spots are available next to the river, some shaded areas and there is plenty of trees for hammocks!

11. educate yourself on THE ANimal cruelty of the horses

Many people are quick to pay to have a pack mule carry their pack into the campground so they don’t have to do it themselves. Obviously no judgment, of course, it sounds nice to do this hike without a pack, porters are the best! But, what many people don’t know, is they have their pack mules carry multiple packs and coolers down to the campground. These pack mules are unfortunately not treated the greatest. We saw some severe cases of animal cruelty when we were there. Also side note, they don’t give any warning when a heard is coming so be prepared on the hike.Obviously, if you aren’t capable of carrying your own pack this is an option but just keep this in mind. This article was actually published just this past April the same dates that I was visiting. You can read about the multiple animal cruelty cases HERE and there is even a non-profit dedicated to this issue that you can check out HERE.  Many of th horses we saw were malnourished these were the healthiest ones I saw the whole time down there.

12. Should I bring my own food?

I’m still undecided on this. There was a store that was pretty well equipped with food. If you’re only staying a night I’d say just buy stuff here, it is a little over-priced but not terrible. If you are staying for a few nights though, pack some dry food so you don’t have to spend a ton of money at the store. But either way, try the fry bread when you get to Supai.

13.Pack Light

You’ll read this everywhere. Because you are hiking in, you obviously want to bring all of the essentials but ten miles with a pack on is hard work so pack as light as you can.’This is all the shit we brought, I think we used everything we brought but still try to condense as much as you can.  I will be posting a packing list post for Havasu Falls, next week!

14.Bring a rain fly

The weekend we went there was 0% chance of rain so I didn’t bring a rain fly. The first night it rained, only for 15-20 minutes but enough to get the hammock wet so bring one either way. I am going to get one of these soon! I’ll update this when I get one to let you know what brand I prefer.

15. You don’t need to bring your own water for the campground

There was a huge group gathering in Supai to fill up water before they went to the campground. The locals were also here trying to fill up and had to wait forever because of the amount of tourists. Unless you are completely out of water just wait to fill up at the natural spring at the campground, it’s just 45 minutes away.  I found out that they test the water quality of this spring once a week so don’t worry about having to filter it.
You can bring your life straw for fun, though!

16. See as much as you can when you’re there

It will be overwhelming to try and visit every waterfall and the Colorado River in a couple of days, but you’ll regret it when you come back if you don’t! If you are here for 4 days and 3 nights you will have plenty of time to see everything. We only had a 2 Day, 1 Night pass so we did everything except visit the Colorado River and this is what our day looked like when we finally got in our hammocks to go to sleep. Hiking 14 hours straight deserved a 7:30 bedtime right!? So much work, but so worth it.

17. When is the best time to visit each falls?

Obviously, this will be different depending what time of year you visit but this is how each falls was when we visited in late April. With 5 falls to visit it is good to know a bit more about them before you go, when the sun is there, when the crowds are there, etc.

Navajo Falls

The first falls you will arrive at are Navajo Falls. They are the least busy of all the falls. You will come to them before the campground. If you are have 4 Days, 3 Nights here you’ll have time to come back to this one on another day but if you only have 2 days you may want to walk down to it before you continue to the campsite, so you don’t have to walk back up to it. People were snorkeling here and it seemed to never get too crowded. There are lots of different places to swim because technically Navajo Falls is two falls now since a flash flood a few years ago caused it to split into two!

Havasu falls

You’ll arrive at Havasu Falls right before the campground starts. Havasu Falls is the least visited early morning and late night but stays quite busy during the day. The sun shines on it most of the day as well so if you want a relaxing day in the sun Havasu Falls and Navajo Falls are your best options.  The picture below is of Havasu Falls when we arrived at 11 am. Read my post all about the Havasu Falls Trail, HERE. This picture is at 5 am just as the sun was starting to rise on our way out. There was no one there yet so this is a perfect time to take pictures. This is my favorite picture from the trip! 

Mooney Falls

Mooney Falls gets the most busy at morning and for sunset. When we went at 1 everyone was visiting Beaver Falls and there were only 15-20 other people there. But when we came back at 5 it was much busier! If you’re afraid of heights definitely visit at the slower times so you can take your time getting down the ladders.Another perk of coming at a slower time is you can get a picture of yourself in front of the falls!This is how it was on the way back up around 5 it was definitely busier than we came down. Read all about my time at Mooney Falls, HERE.

Beaver Falls

I read many places and heard from many friends that Beaver Falls wasn’t very busy when they went. (They all went about a year ago) That has all changed! We were at Mooney Falls around 1 and it was dead because apparently everyone was at Beaver Falls. We didn’t get to Beaver Falls until 3 o’clock in the afternoon and although it was shaded, there we only a total of 4 people there.It is getting more and more popular so don’t expect to have it all to yourself if you go when the sun is shining on the falls, we heard there were over 150 people there at lunchtime, bust times are 11-3. Beaver Falls is incredible but it is an adventure getting there, read all about my trip to Beaver Falls, HERE. 

18. JUmp in the water as much as you can

I swam a bit when I was there but spent most of the time hiking. Next time I go back I’m never leaving the water. It is so refreshing after the hike and it’s so rare to swim in water this clear that is also warm.

19. Do I have to hike my trash out of the campground?

Yes yes and yes. No questions. You’ll see many piles but don’t do it just because everyone else is. We learned that a helicopter costs $600 to take out one load of trash from the village of Supai, costing the tribe $1 per pound of trash! If you can’t take it all the way out at least drop it at one of the trash cans in the village, do your part and take it out of the campground. The Havasupai Tribe are kind enough to allow us to visit this area so please keep it clean so our kids can visit it someday!

20. Be prepared to look like this on the way out of the canyon

The way to the campground was quite easy, we had shade most of the hike and although I was sore later that night, while I was doing it I wasn’t sore at all. It was mainly all a slight downhill hike. A whole different story on the way out though, mainly all uphill, the sun was beating down on us and the last hour was one of the hardest hours of hiking I’ve ever done!

I hope you find these tips helpful when planning your trip to Havasu Falls! Check out all my posts about Havasu Falls HERE and if you have any questions comment below or send me an email, I can’t wait to hear all about your trip!