Every year on February 1st, avid hikers and waterfall chasers wait eagerly for 8am Arizona Time, ready to pounce on the highly coveted Havasupai permits for the year! And this year, you’re in luck because in 2020, February 1 is on a Saturday! Since I made the journey myself in 2017, I have been giving friends who want to go the most updated information I can find about making the magical trek themselves.

It’s become an annual thing for me to update my posts from the last January before permits go on sale and to do a little research for the new changes of the year. I can say that since 2017, it has gotten a little easier to get permits in the sense that you don’t need to call 4 different phone numbers a billion times and still get rejected. There is now an official website to book your permits on, but the problem is, Havasupai has gotten so popular that the permits sell out super fast or break the Internet in the process. #sorryKim

Most of the content on this page will be the same, but I think it’s kind of cool to keep some historical data to compare how the prices are trending over the years. I also usually add screen shots of the reservation website which may also be historically useful in the future for people who want to book. I also compile what I learn from others/forums as I read about them. Plus if you’ve never read this post before, I think you will still find it very useful!

Around this time 3 years ago, I was debating booking a tour group or doing it ourselves, and my best friend and husband managed to convince me that we could do it ourselves…after a lot of convincing. But you know what, it was the best decision in the end and one of the best journeys I’ve accomplished. And you can do it too! 

I have written many posts on Havasupai in this blog and you may have read my original Havasupai Basics  post that I wrote fresh when I got back from the trip (June 2017). But since Havasupai seems to be a popular thing people search for on my blog and I want people to get a chance to go, I will try to keep this post updated on new information for 2020. So far, as long as I have been researching and gone and come back from Havasupai, I’ve seen that permits are released on FEBRUARY 1 every year.

Read on for some changes for 2020 permits (See Permit Section) and other Havasupai basics if this is your first time reading this!

NEW in 2020: The Havasupai tribe has a Kindle book out now! You can also read it for FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited (which you can also try for FREE with a 30-day trial!). I have not read it, but I’m sure it would be helpful too. However, I think reading the experience of bloggers and hikers who have actually tried getting permits, training for it, and actually going is definitely more wisdom that you’ll get from a book!

Please feel free to pin this article if you want to come back to it or share it with others! 🙂

I’ve laid out the basic topics on visiting  in an order that makes sense to me, but if you’d like to jump around in this post, you can do it from here and I’ve updated each section with as current of pricing as I can find last find for 2020:

• How to Get to Havasupai
• How and When to Get a Permit
• Fees
• The Lodge
• Transportation-Helicopters and Horses
• Best Time to Go

You may also want to read the other related, more detailed Havasupai articles I wrote that can be helpful for your trip planning (packing, training, individual hikes, etc.) or just some general wanderlust. Think of this particular post as your launch pad!

• Havasupai Packing List–the top 10 most important items and a complete list!
• How to Train for Havasupai
• The Hike to Havasupai
• Havasu Falls
• The Hike to Mooney Falls
• The Hike to Beaver Falls
• Don’t Make My Mistakes – 7 things I’d do differently

[Disclaimer: Since the flash floods in July 2018, I’m not sure if the entire route to some of these falls and into Havasupai are exactly the same or look as similar. I’ve heard Navajo Falls is a bit different, but again, I cannot be 100% sure on these. However, most of these can be still be excellent guidelines for what to expect and the information for Packing and Training should remain the same!]

How to Get to Havasupai

First of all, before you start planning, it’s probably a good idea to know where the Havasupai Reservation is and whose land you are entering! The Havasupai, or “people of the blue green waters” are an American Indian tribe that have been living in the southwest corner of the Grand Canyon for over 1000 years. Their population is only about 639, and this is their home you are traversing to see some natural wonders. If you want more history, please read my dear friend Kay’s excellent blog post about Havasupai history!

Hence, you will need permits (see below) to see the rest of their canyon and stay overnight. If you don’t have one, they can send you back out of the canyon and that’s another 8 miles you don’t want to have to do again in a day!

The Hualapai Hilltop is your starting point for the hike into the canyon. It is 191 miles from Grand Canyon Village (4 hours drive), or 66 miles from Peach Springs, AZ (1.5 hours drive). The total hike to campgrounds is 10 miles. 

Peach Springs is the last town you can stop at to get gas, food, and water. It’s about 2.5 hours from Las Vegas, and there is the Hualapai lodge you can stay at. A double queen room for us was about $160 a night (May 2017 for reference) and we drove here from Las Vegas the day before we planned to start our hike. From here, you take Route 66 for another 7 miles, then look for Indian Highway 18 and drive all the way to the end for the hilltop.

Travel Pearl: Some people have tried to camp out at the trailhead the night before and sleep in their cars or drive very early in the morning when it’s dark out. Just be careful driving in the dark as it’s hard to see. A friend told me they hit an animal in the dark and found it still stuck (and quiet un-alive) in their car by the time they got to the trailhead. Yikes!

From the Hualapai Hilltop…it is an 8-mile hike to Supai, the village where you check in with the tourism office. They will give you wrist bands here with the dates of your reservation and the number of people in your party. You will need to let them know the license plate of the car you parked at the hilltop and a photo ID of the primary permit holder. The lodge is located in Supai.

The first 6 miles there are no water sources, and by mile 6 you will start to see water and the Havasu Creek. The first 6 miles are also sparse in shade and can be very hot in the summer.

From Supai, it’s 2 more miles to the campgrounds, and then you’re there! The last 2 miles are through a lot of fine red sand and hiking this part felt like the hardest part on the hike in, in my opinion.

Havasu Falls is right at the campgrounds. The campgrounds are about 1 mile long and Mooney Falls is at the end of it, and requires going down through a few narrow rocky tunnels and scaling down the side of the canyon wall (rocks, ladders, cables). Mooney Falls is the largest of the falls.

From Mooney Falls to Beaver Falls is another 3 miles or so and some parts of the hike involve wading through the creek water to get to the trail (maybe about thigh high, no more than waist high, though flash floods could change this). Beaver Falls is where you see those pictures of the smaller cascading sets of waterfalls.

How and When to get a Permit

Permits are available for purchase on this website on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 8:00am Arizona Time for all of 2020. Campgrounds are closed December 2020 and January 2021.

Travel Pearl: Arizona does not partake in Daylight Savings, in case you didn’t know, so keep that in mind when you are trying to purchase permits!! For my fellow Californians, this means they are an hour ahead of us when permits are released and you’ll have to be ready to go at 7am!

Starting in 2019, they discouraged people from calling the office at 928-448-2121 (M-F; 9a-3p, Arizona Time). In fact, they would NOT take any phone reservations at all and will direct you to the website if you call for one.

2017 was the first year reservations were taken via online reservations, and they went FAST! When I experimented in 2018, permits were pretty much booked up for 2018 except for February in the first 20-30 minutes!

For 2018: I heard there were some issues with reloading the website on the Chrome browser, but I think it may be the cookies. I cleared mine after my browser wouldn’t show the reservation button and then it worked. I also tried my phone browser and it was really fast and easy as compared to the platform the first year!

[Update 2.2.20: I had an account pre-made and forgot to log in at 7am PST. It was about 7:30am when I got on and I kept getting error messages that wouldn’t even let me see the calendar to book a reservation! I wasn’t even able to move forward when the “Continue” button showed up here! It was quite frustrating. When I finally got another chance to check a little before 10am PST, there was really no reservations left except a handful in February and March 2021.

In the past on 2.1.19, I was able to create an account 10 minutes before 7am PST, but then could not for the life of me get into my account through my phone browser. My mistake was probably trying to refresh the screen after the countdown until opening time reached 0 seconds. Other friends told me they had several people trying and those who did NOT refresh their screens were the ones able to get in. So perhaps as a precaution, DON’T refresh your browser if you’re already logged in and waiting!

Also, you can only log in your account from ONE browser (phone or computer), so make multiple accounts if you need to and pre-load credit card info!]

CHANGES SINCE 2019, and still applies for 2020

• You can no longer customize the length of your stay to be shorter.
• ALL permits are 4 days and 3 nights
• One name per reservation (Trip Leader); in 2020, you may put Potential Alternative Trip Leaders (PATL) that the reservation can be transferred to free of charge. However, these PATLs need to be assigned when you book the reservation and cannot be changed after, so choose wisely ahead of time!
  • Also, keep in mind, the reservation MUST be transferred before showing up.
• EVERYONE needs to create an account beforehand to sign up for permits: see here.
• You can TRANSFER reservations online through their official system! (10% transfer fee applies)
• Mules are hired through an online system after you book your reservation.
• 12 people per reservation at most (it was 20 in the past)
• They recommend trip/travel insurance with purchase links on their website

When you log in, click the Orange button for Make a Reservation. Then you will select the number in your party.

Then you can browse the calendar for available dates and hit the first date you want as your START date. The system will automatically calculate how much it will cost for you depending how many weekdays and weekends are within your reservation span. Previous years gave you 8 minutes to finalize your booking, but now there’s a countdown timer for 2 minutes to hold your reservation slot, so BOOK FAST! (Still the same for 2020!)

My verdict is that the system is pretty quick and smooth if you are prepared and provided that you are able to LOG IN. It is a little annoying to have to scroll through 2 months at a time to get to the months you need, but that seems to be the only way to do it right now.

If you can have several people trying together, it will likely be easier to have someone get logged in and get the permits. Also, you can wait 2 minutes and keep checking and see if someone else gives up a slot you REALLY want. Just my tips for future reservation blocking!

Apologies I didn’t have a chance to stalk the website in 2019 and research to see the status of the permits as they sold, but it was probably better to let other people use the website bandwidth anyway! I bet they sold out quick! As of 2.2.19 (one day after permits were released) when I finally had a chance to use my computer to research the website and see how it looks, there were no more permits left and only FEBRUARY 2019 was open.

So I guess if I wanted to go in February I could!! I could make a really spontaneous trip sometime that month to go out and hike it! It would be cold, but hey, if you REALLY want to do it, there’s still a few availabilities!

MY ADVICE is to plan out several dates that work for you and your group in advance. Have several accounts made. Have your credit card pre-loaded.

When we booked in 2017, there were only 300 maximum spots allowed on the campgrounds per day, but I’m reading now that it has increased to 350 maximum. Since reservations are transferrable now (only through their website and incurring a 10% charge), it makes it slightly less stressful to book these reservations!

Notes for the primary permit holder or “Trip Leader”:

• They will need the license plate of the car you drove there, so take a photo or write it down.
  • ALL vehicles must have their Campground Reservation Confirmation Code visibly displayed through the front windshield on the passenger’s side at all times while on Havasupai lands.
• You need to be there check everyone in, meaning you cannot continue forward until everyone in your group gets their wristband and no one can get a wristband if you are not there! (And remember, it is another 2 miles to the campground from the check-in office in Supai.)
• Everyone needs 3 things at all times in Havasupai: 1) a screenshot or printout for PROOF OF THEIR ACCOUNT, 2) screenshot or printout for proof of campground reservation, 3) photo ID

Fees

The prices just keep going up! But they have simplified it not to be so complicated with environmental fees or dates to look out for holidays/breaks. 2020 rates were not explicitly posted, but I will update this when I find out for certain. Rates are subject to change, but so far it looks like they haven’t announced any deviation from last year.

2020 Rates:

• $395 per person

2019 Rates:

• $100 per person per weekday night
• $125 per person per weekend night (Friday/Saturday/Sunday nights)

And that’s it! You can see below for historic costs:

2018 Rates:

• 2 days (1 night): $140.56*
• 3 days (2 nights): $171.11
• 4 days (3 nights):$201.67

*A day hike as it is not technically allowed so you will have to camp at least one night or stay at the lodge. So, basically everything went up about $50 per person since the previous year.

PLUS there is an additional $18.33/night for:

• Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights
• Holiday Weekday Nights: 2/19, 5/28, 7/4, 9/3, 10/8
• Spring Break weekday nights: 3/5-3/8 & 3/19-3/22

2017 Rates:

• Entrance Fee: $50 pp
• Environmental Care Fee:  $10 pp
• Camping Fee: $25 pp per day*
• + 10% Sales Tax
  Total Cost: $121 per person (for 2 nights)

I’d sign up for emails at https://www.havasupaireservations.com/ just to make sure you get any last minute changes on permits or fees or rules! Their Facebook Page is also a great place to get info and search forums but it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes because there is a LOT of info!

While the fees have gone up a lot, it’s not nearly as expensive as all the good backpacking gear you will need. This trip is not as cheap as your typical camping excursion!

The Lodge

If you don’t want to camp overnight, you can stay at the Havasupai Lodge in the Supai village! There are only 24 rooms and the rates for 2020 are $440/night (not sure if this includes taxes/fees, but 2019 was $175/night). The deposit is $100 per room per night (increased from $60/room/night). Plus there is another $110 additional environmental/entrance fee per person, per their website. (Increased from $90 in 2019).

Per their Facebook page: “All Lodge rooms have two queen beds and can accommodate up to a total of four people. Each room also has two chairs, a desk, a dresser, a nightstand, a two-seat sofa, a closet area with hangers, heating and air conditioning, sink, toilet, and tub/shower. There are also towels, soap, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper, and facial tissues provided in each room.” No TV’s from past reviews, but I read you can access the village wifi, and hey, at least there’s AC!

Call (928) 448-2111 or (928) 448-2201 for reservations and try to book as early as you can! You can cancel up to 2 weeks before with a full refund.

Just keep in mind that from the lodge, you will have to hike 2 miles to get to Havasu Falls, and add on another 3 miles to get to Beaver Falls. The advantage of camping at the campgrounds is that it is literally right next to Havasu Falls and you get to be one with nature! 🙂 There are some cafe foods available at the village store if you stay at the lodge so you may not need to bring as much food.

[Update 5.29.18– You can book for the lodge a year in advance, starting June 1, 2018 at 8 AM ARIZONA TIME for the 2019 season (April – December)! The lodge bookings include all necessary permits, fees, and taxes. More info below.]

^From previous year’s research, looks like you can book lodge rooms on June 1 of the year for the following year’s season.

Transportation–Helicopters and Horses

If you don’t want to carry your own camping supplies, you can hire a mule to carry your supplies down to the canyon and back up. Each animal can carry about maximum (4 bags). They will weigh your bags:

• Maximum weight: 32 pounds per bag.
• Maximum baggage size: 36 inches long, 19 inches wide, 19 inches tall.
• All baggage must be soft-sided with nothing hanging off the outside.

Round Trip: $400
Bag dropoff is by 10am at the Trailhead and by 7am at the Campgrounds.

You can drop off bags early, but if it’s late you risk incurring fees. ($300 for a late run; $400 for an Emergency Pack Mule if available)

Apparently mule care standards have been getting better–likely due to people who noticed how some of them looked pretty worn out and possibly complained about it. This also does mean there are less to hire for this year. I didn’t witness any animal abuse when I was there but I am glad they are striving to take care of the animals.

Upon exiting the canyon when we were there, I tried asking a lady (only half jokingly) if she would let me hire her two horses who were not carrying any loads to take me to the top of the switch backs (1 mile or so left) because I was absolutely dying in the heat. She looked at me pityingly and said, “No, sorry, they are done for the day.” Good for the animals, though!

ALL mule reservations are made ONLINE ONLY for 2020 and you need to sign up for a waitlist once you book a reservation. Many people split costs of a mule since it can carry 4 packs. See this Facebook group to connect with people selling or seeking mule spots.

The waitlist does not confirm a reservation and these requests will usually be approved “around a week” before your arrival. You won’t be charged until something is confirmed–but then it becomes non-refundable and non-transferrable (perhaps unless you purchase their travel insurance).

You can also take a helicopter ride provided by AirWest, weather permitting, in or out of the village ($85/ride –not confirmed for 2020) with a 40lb load, but rides are first come, first serve on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday (March 15-October 15).  However, the Monday and Thursday rides are not always guaranteed. Sign ups are between 10am-1pm and helicopters start leaving Supai starting at 10am and fly until dark. So get in line early for this!

For off season (October to March), only Friday and Sunday helicopters operate.

Villagers get priority over helicopter service so visitors are only able to use it if there is availability after the villagers are taken care of first.

ALSO, it is CASH ONLY. You can read my blogger friend Kay’s really funny post on her misadventures to Havasupai and how not having cash almost prevented her from getting a helicopter ride out and being stranded there! Trust me, it’s a very entertaining article and it was even funnier listening to her tell it to me in person when I met up with her in Portland!

Best Time to Go

Honestly, the best time to go might be any time you can get permits. 😛 Just kiddinggg. Kinda sorta. Note: Closed in December and January

I think I would go with late April as a pretty optimal time. Just my opinion. Also this is if you WANT to be in the water. April may not be too hot yet and not too cold either. The water from the creek is COLD, so going in warmer weather is better to enjoy it. However, you don’t really want it to be too hot either because hiking in and out will be absolutely miserable, unless you wake up at like 3 or 4 am. In retrospect, we probably should have picked this timing because it was way hot in mid-late May!

We ran into a girl on the hike out of the canyon who said she had just done the hike in March, and it was a pretty cold hike out. But she said she preferred that cold to this heat we were currently experiencing in late May.

Summer months (mid June-September) also run the risk of monsoons and flash floods like July of 2018 when they had to close Havasupai for a few weeks, but you’ll probably enjoy the water much more too in the summer. So really, it’s hard to find a happy medium and I’d say just take your chances as long as you can get a permit! We wanted to go a little earlier in May but our dates were taken. It was still a great trip and we counted ourselves lucky to have gotten permits!

Lastly, be respectful of the land. I cannot stress this enough! You would want a guest entering your home to be respectful of your space, too. There are no alcohol, drugs, weapons, drones, or pets allowed. Drones will be confiscated and you could be fined $1000!! And please don’t graffiti the canyon walls. It was a little sad to me to see people adding painted handprints to the walls down by Beaver Falls.

Leave nature the way you found it–glorious all on its own! 🙂

Have fun and be prepared for the journey of a lifetime! Good luck getting your 2020 permits!

xoxo,
Jas

P.S. The lovely girl you see in cobalt blue is my high school best friend, and the images with her are taken by her boyfriend (husband!), who is a photographer on the side. He has graciously allowed me to share them on my blog! Check out his website if you’d like! 🙂
http://www.colorandlight.photography/