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Making the 10-mile hike to see the famous turquoise Havasu Falls is on every adventure traveler’s bucket list.
But did you know that there’s so much more to do and see in Havasupai Indian Reservation than just a hike to Havasu Falls?!
Now that the minimum required stay in Havasupai Indian Reservation is 4 days, 3 nights, you may be wondering what adventures or things you can do for the rest of your stay beyond Havasu Falls.
In this 4-day Havasu Falls itinerary, I’ll spill all the juicy details you’ll want to know about the things to do each day, drawing from my two trips to Havasupai (March 2018 and early February 2023), including:
Not only is it required to have a permit to hike to Havasu Falls, but it's also critical to visit responsibly. As guests in the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The Supai Tribe has opened up their homes to visitors so that they can share the beauty and magic of Havasu Falls with the rest of the world. It’s our responsibility as visitors to leave Havasu Falls in even better condition than when we found it. Because hiking to Havasu Falls is not a right, it’s a privilege.
So please be respectful of the sacred lands of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, as well as the people and their culture.
Visitors are required to pack out everything they bring in, including food waste, packaging, and everything else. In addition, please practice Leave No Trace principles.
If you’re hiking to Havasu Falls soon, check these posts out for everything to expect, pack, and prepare for so that you have the trip of a lifetime!
Today is the freaking day you’ve been counting down for since scoring a permit…YOU’RE HIKING TO HAVASU FALLS!
Today will be a challenging, but rewarding 10-mile hike to get to Havasu Campground, where you’ll set up camp for the next few days.
Pro Tip: to minimize the pain or potential injuries you may experience from the weight of your backpack as you hike to Havasu Falls, learn how to properly adjust your hiking backpack straps for better weight distribution on your body. You’ll want 80% of your backpack weight carried by your hips, not your back or shoulders.
Before you start your hike, you must properly check in and receive the required documents from the Supai Tourism group.
The hike to Havasu Falls in February 2023 took our group 6 hours. Our squad consisted of 11 hikers with various hiking experiences and fitness levels, so we hiked at a comfortable, moderate pace and took a 45-minute lunch break.
This hike will take you most of the day. For your safety, I recommend starting early to avoid hiking in the brutal heat, especially if you are hiking to Havasu Falls from May - September. In the summer season, temperatures in Havasupai Indian Reservation can get well over 100°F - 105°F!
Pro Tip: Pack enough water for your hike. There are no sources of drinking water along the Havasupai Trail until you reach Supai Village, 8 miles from the trailhead. Even on my hike in winter (February), I filled up my 3-liter hydration bladder and 32-ounce Nalgene bottle with water...and that was just enough to make it to camp. If hiking in hotter weather, I’d need to pack more water.
At Mile 8, you’ll reach Supai Village. Take a break, explore the village, and even grab some Indian fry bread in the cafe! I stopped by the Supai Village post office, the most remote post office in the United States that still uses mules to distribute mail, and sent myself a postcard as a souvenir!
Hike another 2 miles past Supai Village to get to Havasu Campground, but along the way, spend some time admiring 50 Foot Falls, Navajo Falls, and the famous Havasu Falls!
You'll realize all the pain you endured on the hike is worth it!
At Mile 10, you've finally reached Havasu Campground! Since your Havasu permit does not assign campsites, explore all of Havasu Campground to find the perfect campsite to set up your tent. I recommend hiking toward the back end of Havasu Campground (towards Mooney Falls) to find some great campsites along Havasu Creek.
Once your tent is setup, you can cook a meal, stretch your tired legs, or even head back to Havasu Falls for a swim!
Honestly, the dreamy, turquoise Beaver Falls is my favorite waterfall in Havasupai Indian Reservation (and maybe even in the United States)! So this day hike to Beaver Falls is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
With multiple river crossings and a section requiring a waterfall downclimb, this 4-mile roundtrip hike from Havasu Campground to Beaver Falls is an exciting and adventurous one!
This day hike kick starts with an adrenaline-dumping challenge: scaling down the slippery chains to get down to the oh-so-powerful Mooney Falls. It’s intimidating (and a little scary), but as long as you take your time, this will be an unforgettable experience!
Pro Tip: start early in the morning for an intimate experience at Mooney Falls without the crowds!
You thought down-climbing the ladder by Mooney Falls was fun? Your hike is about to get a little WET!
As you hike past Mooney Falls towards Beaver Falls, keep an eye out on the cairns (stacked rock piles), which mark where you hike across Havasu Creek! There will be 3 river crossings and a few short ladders to climb to get to Beaver Falls.
For this hike, I wore hiking sandals instead of my hiking boots. This made it easier to hike through the creek without having to take time to put on and take off my hiking boots!
Enjoy lunch or some trail snacks with an epic view of Beaver Falls at the picnic table.
Then make your way down to Beaver Falls and jump right in for the most refreshing swim in the most turquoise water in the world.
Pro Tip: start early in the morning for an intimate experience at Mooney Falls without the crowds!
Today is UP TO YOU!
Since this is your last day before making the strenuous hike out of the canyon, which is harder than the hike in, see how your body feels when deciding what to do today.
Need a chill day to rest and relax before your hike out of Havasupai? Spend the day exploring Havasu Falls.
Craving one last challenging adventure? Hike to the Colorado River (also known as “The Confluence”) to experience the magic of the turquoise blue Havasu Creek mixing with the Colorado River.
If you prefer to rest your body in preparation for tomorrow’s hike out of Havasupai Indian Reservation, take advantage of the day by relaxing at Havasu Falls. And if you’re up for it, take a swim in that refreshing, turquoise water!
Can’t get enough waterfalls? Explore the beauty of the surrounding waterfalls, including 50-Foot Falls and Navajo Falls!
And for a little people-watching or Indian fry bread, hike 2 miles back to Supai Village!
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Rounding up the list of “Magical Spots Near Havasu Falls” is “The Confluence”, where the turquoise Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch the Colorado River when it’s brown, making the mixing with the blue Havasu Creek even more dramatic with bright, mesmerizing swirls!
If your body is up for another challenging adventure, make the 16.5-mile (roundtrip) hike to the Colorado River from Havasu Campground.
Half of our group was up for this adventure. Even though we hauled ass and took a 45-minute lunch break, it still took us 8 hours to complete. This is a STRENUOUS hike on an unmarked, unmaintained trail. I do not recommend hiking to The Confluence if you have any kind of minor injury or have any hesitations.
This hike is tough, but such an incredibly memorable experience! Although the exact river crossings are difficult to find, they’re so fun. From the campground, we did almost 10 water crossings (each way)! And there were sections when the water was high enough to reach my bikini zone during crossings but I LOVED it.
For these water crossings, I wore my hiking boots for much-needed ankle support. I didn’t even bother taking my boots off for any of these crossings (to save time) and didn’t have an issue. To prevent blistering from wet feet, I wore Merino wool hiking socks (for breathability and moisture-wicking features) and applied an anti-blister balm on my feet.
But my favorite part about hiking to the Colorado River is being able to follow the magnificent flow of Havasu Creek while hiking between the tall slot canyons all around me. Such an incredible feeling!
At The Confluence, we took a lunch break, with front-row seats to views of the water mixing and kayakers exploring the slot canyons surrounding Havasu Creek.
After making it back to camp, my legs were SO DEAD. But I knew the only way to recover and freshen up was to head to Havasu Falls for an early evening swim (which turned into a bath)!
Pro Tip: I recommend starting the hike to The Confluence as soon as there’s sunlight so that you are not climbing up or down the Mooney Falls chains in the dark.
It’s kind of crazy how quickly 4-days in Havasupai can fly by! Sadly, today is the day for your legs to find the strength they need to hike 10 miles out of Havasu Canyon. Not going to lie to you, it’s going to hurt!
Don’t forget that HIKING OUT of the canyon is more difficult than HIKING IN. So stretch before you hike out, pack enough water, and take all the breaks you need!
Feast up and eat a good breakfast so you have the energy you need to make the hike out of Havasu Canyon (and it lowers the weight you’ll have to carry in your pack)! And don’t forget to pack out everything you brought into Havasupai Reservation, including your trash.
Pro Tip: Before heading out of the Havasu campground, make sure to fill up with enough (or even more water) than you’ll need at Fern Spring. There are no sources of drinking water along Havasupai Trail.
Hiking out of Havasupai will be much more challenging than when you hiked in, due to the steep climb up out of the canyon in addition to the extreme heat. Even in winter, we experienced the impacts of the sun and heat during the hike out, with temperatures exceeding 80°F in early February! However, we took our time and took breaks as needed and all 11 of us made it out of the canyon safely.
Even with a 30-minute lunch break, it took our group 6.5 hours to hike out of Havasupai.
You’ll want to start hiking out of Havasu Falls as early as possible, especially in summer to avoid the heat.
Don’t forget to bid one last farewell as you hike past Havasu Falls for the last time…I know I shed a tear on my way out.
Even with 4-days and 3-nights, I still feel like I needed more time to explore and relish in the magic of Havasupai! But with this 4-day Havasu Falls itinerary, you’ll make the most of your trip! From exploring the unforgettable turquoise waterfalls to learning about the Havasupai culture, this will be an adventure for the books!
And as you explore Havasu Falls, please respect the land, the people, and the culture. It’s our responsibility to leave places like this even more beautiful than we found it.
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