Havasu Falls: 6 Day Itinerary

Note: We are not avid hikers. This hike is not easy, but with some conditioning, most anyone can do it, including families!
 

Day 1: Fly to Flagstaff, AZ

This day is for getting to the area. Pick up your rental car: Prices may vary, but for a week, I’ve found that they generally run around $200 on websites like orbitz.com or kayak.com (not too bad). After you have your car, start driving towards Peach Springs or your hotel location. This may take 3-4 hours depending on where you are staying.


Photo Courtesy Trip Advisor

**the closest hotel we could find to the trail head was the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. It wasn’t the most luxurious hotel but they have cavern tours where you can go hundreds of feet into the ground and see some pretty cool things like a mummified bobcat and giant sloth claw marks. You can even stay the night down in the cavern!! It’s $$$ but really cool!

I would recommend you take the first day to relax and get your packs organized. You don’t want to get into Arizona flying in sideways at 5AM and drive to the trailhead and start right away. But hey, some people get crazy hyped up about hiking so if it suites you, go for it!

Day 2: Start the hike

Drive from your hotel to the trail head, and plan on getting to the parking lot around 8 or 9AM. You will need to register your car for the parking lot but it shouldn’t take very long. 

·        You can rent a mule to carry your bags down to the campsite for you, and you can also take a helicopter ride to the village! You can get pricing and make reservations for these packages here.

The hike starts off very steep. You are getting from the rim to the floor of the canyon in 3/4 of a mile. At least it’s going down, but you are in for a treat when you are coming back up! With all of our gear, it took us about 6 ½ hours to get to the village which is approximately 8 miles from the rim. There, you will go into the registration office and get your tent permits and wristbands. It is very uplifting to get to the village, but the campgrounds are another 2 miles past the village. Remember to call and make your campground reservations 3 to 4 months in advance.

*Note: the village DOES have a grocery store! We did not know this and packed all of our food that we would need for our camp. They do have snack food, so if you're tight on weight you can get extra food there for the hike out. If you don’t want MRE’s every night, grab some food in the Supai Village cafe!

 On the way to the campgrounds after you register, you will pass Navajo Falls about a mile past the village, then after another quarter mile or so you will see the breathtaking Havasu Falls. You think that all the pictures you’ve seen are photo shopped to make the water look bright turquoise but it is SO not! We stopped along the trail for a little while and just admired the view (and lets be honest here, we were also really freaking tired). We set up our campsite and made sure to stay hydrated! We got down to the campsite when it was getting dark so we didn’t do too much exploring. 

Day 3: Navajo Falls and Havasu Falls

Today you will most likely be sore, unless you have super human thigh muscles. These 2 Falls (Navajo and Havasu) are within reasonable walking distance, even though they are both uphill from the campsite. The water in Havasupai is ~70 degrees year round because it comes out of a natural spring (still shouldn’t drink it without purifying – we really like the Platypus packs). We spent an entire morning swimming in at the Base of Navajo falls. We found a ledge to jump off of (and a local canyon dog who befriended us, dubbed Twinky by our group), brought snacks and soaked up some sun. Once you’ve gotten your fill of Navajo Falls, continue on to Havasu Falls. 

Havasu Falls #nofilter

 One reason we didn’t do Havasu first was because it is COLD in the morning. When we went in April, the water was still fairly chilly and we needed the sun to be hitting the water so we didn’t freeze! I could have spent the rest of the day staring at this magnificent waterfall. There are little pools to soak in and numerous places to hang a hammock or lay out in the sunshine. 

Day 4: Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls

Mooney Falls

 After your legs are well rested, take a trip down to Mooney Falls. 

The Path to the Base of Mooney Falls

This is the largest water fall on the trail and has the nick name “Mother of the Falls” by the locals. This will be in the opposite direction of Havasu Falls. When you get to the viewing area, there will be a path that takes you down to the base of the falls. 

This is a difficult decent due to the slick stone steps from the mist coming off the waterfall. Once you are at the base, you can either hang out for a bit and enjoy Mooney, or continue on to Beaver Falls. You will follow the path along the Havasu Creek for about 2 miles (don’t miss the swimming hole along the way! It’s about a half mile away from Mooney). The hike to Beaver Falls can be quite strenuous so be prepared!

*If this is not for you, I would spend another day at Havasu Falls. I really could not get enough of it.

Day 5: Hiking out of the Canyon
Break down the campsite, have a really hardy breakfast and start hiking. Your end destination has a major factor in the starting time of your hike out, whether you are planning on getting back to the airport for an evening flight home, or getting back to your original hotel or a hotel near the airport. It all depends on your travel needs. I found the hike out of the canyon to be more manageable than getting in. The whole hike itself is actually pretty level, minus the 3/4 of a mile straight up at the end. Once you reach the switchbacks, you are almost there, but this is the threshold where your exhaustion and your motivation to get to the car battle it out. The last 3/4 of a mile took us about as long as it took us to do nearly 2 on the canyon floor. Once you reach the top: Congratulations!! You made it out of the Grand Canyon! Take a picture!
At this point, you are now making your way to your hotel destination (or airport). 
Check in, go to the pool, or go to SLEEP (sleep. I would choose sleep)

View from the trail head with the trail winding along the canyon floor.

Day 6: Fly Home

Check out of the hotel, pack up your bags for air travel, return the rental car, you know, the usual. And get home safetly!

I hope you find my itinerary useful and inspirational in planning your own trip to the magical Havasu Falls!

*Need help with a personalized itinerary for your upcoming vacation? I can help! Send me an e-mail at lilyslifeblog@gmail.com for assistance.