Here’s everything you need to know to get Havasupai Falls reservations and permits.
The waterfalls within the Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona seem straight from a dream. The turquoise waters surrounded by towering canyons look photoshopped but are vivid and beautiful in person and worth the effort to get there.
Havasupai means people of the blue-green waters, and the Havasupai Tribe manages the land with multiple checkpoints once you arrive at Supai Village. Many think it’s part of the Grand Canyon, but it’s a side canyon called Havasu Canyon outside Grand Canyon National Park.
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Last Updated: January 27, 2025
How to Get Havasupai Reservations / Permits
People scramble to get the coveted Havasupai Falls reservation every year. In the past, reservations for the year started at the beginning of February and would sell out within minutes. They used to do it through a phone line, where they often did not pick up, but now you can reserve online here.
The 2025 season is different because they have a presale reservation system, giving people access to a limited number of permit reservations before the opening day sale on February 1, 2025. The presale doesn’t guarantee a reservation spot but significantly increases your chances of securing a reservation for your preferred dates.
Havasupai Falls Presale Reservation Info
- Starts: December 16, 2024, 8 AM (Arizona Time)
- Ends: January 3, 2025, 5 PM (Arizona Time)
- Reservation Site: Click here to set up your account
- Presale Fee: $20 per person/per reservation (non-refundable)
- Registration: You can select campground and/or lodge and three desired reservation start dates (or month if your specific date isn’t available)
- Reservation Limits: Campgrounds are limited to one reservation (up to 12 permits) per trip leader. Lodge reservations are limited to three rooms (4 people per room, 12 permits) per trip leader.
- Selection: After the presale period closes, the permits will be randomly given out.
- Notification: If they award you a date, they will email you by January 6, 2025. Total reservation payment will be due at that time.
Havasupai Falls Public Reservation Info
- Starts: February 1, 2025, 8 AM (Arizona Time)
- Lodge Reservations: April 1 – November 30, 2024
- Reservation Site: Click here to set up your account
- Registration: You can select the campground and/or lodge and three desired reservation start dates or a month if your specific date isn’t available.
- Reservation Limits: Campgrounds are limited to one reservation (up to 12 permits) per trip leader. Lodge reservations are limited to three rooms (4 people per room, 12 permits) per trip leader.
Pro Tip: Sign up for an account before registration day and enter all your personal and credit card info to save time.
See More: 11 Famous Hiking Trails and Hardest Adventure Permits to Get in the US
Havasupai Falls Fees
- Campground Reservations: $455 per person (all campground reservations are 3 nights)
- Lodge Reservations: $2,277 per lodge room for up to four people (all lodge reservations are three nights)
- Pack Mules: $200 per mule each way or $400 per mule round trip
- Helicopter Transport: Call 623.516.2790 for schedule and pricing
The Hike to Supai Village + Campgrounds
The hike is a total of 10 miles each way.
- The trail into Supai begins at Hualapai Hilltop, where there is plenty of parking for regular vehicles (and very limited for RVs).
- From Hualapai Hilltop, there is a quick 2-mile descent into the canyon. You will go down switchbacks, and hiking poles come in handy.
- The next 6 miles to Supai Village is a relatively flat or very slow descent, which means getting out is mostly uphill.
- After arriving in Supai, you hike another 2 miles to the campground, continuing to descend into the canyon.
Pro Tip: During the hot months, people typically start hiking at night to avoid the heat.
See More: Your Ultimate Havasupai Packing List
Havasupai Campgrounds
The Campground is a “camp wherever you want” campground. It runs for over a mile on both sides of Havasu Creek between Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls. Finding an area big enough for our 13-person group took us over an hour. There is also drinking water available and primitive toilets.
Pro Tip: Bring your own toilet paper, because sometimes they run out.
The Five Waterfalls of Havasu Creek
1. Little Navajo Falls
Little Navajo Falls, aka New Navajo Falls or Upper Navajo Falls, are the first set of falls you see from Supai to the campground.
This one was confusing to find. The 2008 floods destroyed the 70-foot Navajo Falls and created multiple falls in its place. Some people refer to them as Upper and Lower Navajo Falls, but the only one notated by a sign there refers to them as Little Navajo Falls. Either way, they are beautiful and worth exploring.
2. Lower Navajo Falls / Rock Falls
The Lower Navajo Falls were much easier to find.
3. Havasu Falls
Havasu Falls is 0.5 miles away from the campgrounds. It drops over 100 feet into a beautiful pool. When hiking from Supai Village to the campgrounds, you will pass these falls.
4. Mooney Falls
Mooney Falls is the largest of the Havasupai waterfalls. It’s only 0.5 miles after you pass the campgrounds, but you must descend through two tunnels, chains, and ladders. The lines can get long, and it took us over an hour to get down.
Local Tip: Watch out for centipedes!
5. Beaver Falls
Beaver Falls is the furthest away and requires trekking through water, narrow trails, and over sketchy wooden bridges. It’s 3.5 miles each way (7 miles round trip) and an excellent cliff-jumping spot.
What You Need to Know Before Your Hike
- Want to know what to pack? Here’s our ultimate packing guide for backpacking Havasupai.
- Pack enough water to get to the campground. There is fresh water you can refill there.
- Create and update your account online before reservation dates to quickly log in and look for dates once they open.
- All reservations include necessary permits, fees, and taxes.
- There is only one name per reservation, and that person must be present to check in with a photo ID, or the entire reservation will be forfeited.
- Enter a Potential Alternative Trip Leader (PATL) when you sign up and transfer to that person if you can’t make it.
- Pack Mule reservations are also online and are limited. Each Pack Mule can carry up to 4 bags with a maximum of 32 pounds per bag and a maximum size of 36 inches long, 19 inches wide, and 19 inches tall. All bags must be soft-sided with nothing hanging on the outside. Ice chests or coolers are NOT permitted. A lot of people put their backpacks into duffel bags for more protection. Remember that they only bring your bags to the village, so you must carry your gear to your campsite for the final 2 miles.
- Helicopters are not guaranteed. The locals primarily use them, and a reservation is simply a waitlist for a potential open space. If there are no spaces, prepare to hike.
- Check the weather forecast and always know where to find high ground (there are signs). Havasupai is subject to flash floods, and the monsoon season runs from late June through August.
- Purchase travel insurance after making your reservation if you don’t want to risk losing money.
More Essential Tips for Hiking Havasupai
- Bring your permit info, paid receipts, and government ID. There are multiple checkpoints during the hike and at the campsite. Also, write down or take a photo of your license plate number.
- Please drive slowly and carefully on the road to Hualapai Hilltop. The windy road was full of cattle, and it was a stressful night drive.
- They are stricter about what you are and aren’t allowed to bring now. Review all the rules and be ready for checkpoints. No alcohol, drugs, drones, or weapons are allowed. Our friends who recently went said there was a checkpoint where they poured out any alcohol they found in the car.
- If your dates are flexible, check the cancellation/transfer system where you can find spots that people gave up.
- Depending on the time of year, your hike may be very hot! To avoid the sun, we arrived at the parking lot and slept in the car to start hiking at 4 AM. That helped us avoid much of the heat. We also hiked out at night, which was disorienting and scary because of potential mountain lions. Luckily, there were only a few places where you could take a wrong turn. They don’t recommend hiking at night.
- Food options – There is a small restaurant in Supai and a food stand in front of the campground.
- Frequent flooding causes waterfalls to disappear and reappear. What you see now may not exist in the future.
- Arrive early to get a campsite ASAP! It’s first come, first served and fills up quickly.
Planning Checklist
- Get comprehensive insurance for your trip.
- Download these helpful language apps.
- Arrange a rental car for your trip.
- Get airport lounge access.
- Buy a travel charger to keep your devices charged.
- Get a new backpack for your trip.
- Pack the appropriate shoes for your trip.
- Don’t forget your in-flight essentials.
Have you ever tried to get Havasupai Falls reservations? How was your experience? Any other tips you would add?
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Esther + Jacob
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.
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What is the best time of year to do this adventure? I want to do with my 18 year old daughter before she heads to college next fall(2019)??? Thanks in advance
Hi Sue. I think Spring or early fall is probably the best time to do this hike. Summer will be brutally hot hiking into the canyon, and late fall and winter you’ll start getting shorter days and won’t have as much time to hike. The water is cold and if you want to go swimming, hotter days are ideal, but if I had to weigh my choices I’d rather take being cold while swimming than hiking that long in the heat.
Does anyone have any reservations for any days between October 23 to 27?
Please email me.
[email protected]
I SUPER appreciate
Looking for space for 2 people for any nights between 5/23/18-5/28/18!! Please email or call me at(253) 370-9914 or [email protected]!
Hi all,
Can someone help us pls, we planned our Trip to USA und we dont get Permits for 15.-16.9.2018. if someone have 4 permits we will be very Lucky
Marina
I have 2 permits for one night. Hike down on Sep 30th and camp and hike back up on Oct 1st if you are interested.
Hello,
Do you know of any blogs or forums where people sell any extra permits/spots they may have if they cannot fill their group?
Thanks!
Sorry, Jess. I’m not familiar with any. In past years, people who had extra spots commented on this post, but not sure if that’s still a thing or where they are going now. If you find out, we’d love to know too!
we have 2 available for march 7-8, 2018.
Hi Mandy,
I am interested in the 2 available permits for March 7-8,2018. Let me know what is the best phone number to reach. Thank you Ester for this post.
are they still available?
My wife and I are looking to make reservations. Do you still have two available spots?
Did your entire group need to arrive at the same time? Or could a group leader “check in” first?
You check in at the base of the canyon, which is really far into your hike. You only have a couple miles left at that point. Only one person needs to check everyone in. During your hike though, there will be checkpoints and I believe you need to be with the leader during those checkpoints.
I read that you can now make reservations online rather than having to call a billion times. Do you know where we can make online reservations?
https://www.havasupaireservations.com/ They just opened it today! They had it last year, but then they ended up taking the online reservations down.
Wish me luck I am trying to get a permit for June for 2 people I’m praying I can get one
Best of luck Cathleen! I hope you get them!
Hi,
I was hoping to book into the lodge 15-16 oct 2018 but there is no availability at this time. I am going to keep calling and praying for cancellations. If anyone has a room of four but space for 2 people in the room around these dates please let me know as I am desperate to tie havasupai into my U.S road trip.
Email me at [email protected]
I look forward to hearing from you!
Cara x
2 spots open NOV 7-9 in my group 9 guys 6 girls …. 817-938-6220 I am josh
Thanks for posting your open spots. :) Hope you guys have an incredible hike!
How the heck do you get through on the phone to make a reservation at the lodge? Never an answer or voicemail box to leave call back info. Frustrating but at the same time, we want to go soooooo badly I refuse to give up!
Thanks,
Gail
321 223-9575
[email protected]
Unfortunately the best thing to do is to keep calling. You may have to wait until next February when they open up again for next year. They may just be out of spots this year.
I was able to get reservations at the lodge for August 2018. Do I still need a permit to hike or is the permit for the campsite. I’m hoping I’m good to go with just having reservations.
We’ve never done the lodge, but I would guess you’re all set. Just to be safe, I would check with them.
When did you book for August 2018? It was my understanding that Feb 1st was when they start taking reservations for the year?
Thanks, Melinda
You should do it immediately. They book up quick, and each year it increases in popularity.
I was wondering how far away the lodges are.
The lodge is in Supai – just shy of 2 miles from Havasu Falls
Hi! I am not from the area, so I will be flying in and taking shuttles to the South Rim. Is there any way to get to the reservation without having a car from there?
Hi Laura,
Unfortunately I’m not sure that there is an easy way to get there. I would highly suggest renting a car if you plan on doing both.
Jacob
Do you have to camp out there? Can one sleep in the car instead but still get permits for hike? Or is it recommended you get a spot at campiste?
Not sure if I’m understanding your question. There’s a debate on whether you can still get day hike passes, but nothing has been confirmed 100% from them. They’re ridiculously hard to get in touch with. You probably could hike in and out the same day to get back to your car, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a long hike, and I don’t think you’d have much time there to enjoy the falls.
Hello, I’m trying to surprise my husband by taking him on a trip. We are from Sacramento, California. We arnt used to long hikes unfortunately. (Also my first time planning a trip.) What would u recommend as for sightseeing or small hikes? Also if I wanted to join on in this specific location, how would I be able to reserve a helicopter in advance?
From what we understand and what we were told when we were there, the helicopters can’t be reserved. It’s first come first served, so sometimes you’re waiting several hours to catch a ride to and from. One of our friends waited around 6 hours to get back up and regretted not hiking back up instead. This is the only hike I know of on the reservation, so for smaller hikes nearby, I would visit the Grand Canyon.
How are you guys able to travel to a new city every year? What do you guys do for money if you don’t mind me asking? I need that life! :)
Hi Sabrina! Most of the money comes through partnerships with brands. We wrote a post a while back on how we travel for a living if you’re interested – http://localadventurer.com/how-to-travel-for-a-living.
Hi! I’ve noticed that all of the campsites for the entire year filled up within the first week of open registration. I’n sure that some adventure guided tour company came in and bought up all the sites. Do you know if they resell these sites? Or any other information would be helpful, thanks!
I think the majority of them actually get bought out by individuals.. from my understanding. We were able to reserve up to 20 people. They’re pretty hard to come by.
When is open registration for 2018?
When can I start calling and what’s best # to call?
Can I reserve a lodge room now? How many can a room hold?
How much per person for lodge?
Thanks
Connie