Overview

This is a strange hike and I have mixed feelings about taking the time to post a description. The hike is nice, the scenery is nice, and the water is nice, but the whole Hualapai Indian Reservation thing is depressing, and the campground and facilities are, shall we say, less than one might expect given the price of getting in ($57 for 1 person for 1 night). I got the impression that "rich white people" aren't welcome there. There have also been some serious crimes against hikers down in the canyon.

Despite this, it is a wonderful place. The hike starts atop and quickly drops below the Coconino Sandstone to Hualapai Wash below. The walls of the wash get narrower and deeper until the canyon open into Havasu Canyon. The trail follows Havasu Creek to Supai Village, which is in a wide spot in the canyon. The route then follows dirt roads from Supai north past two beautiful waterfalls to the campground, which is just below the famous Havasu Falls.

Link to maps.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ...this route is pretty safe, but there are a few places to stumble off into the abyss near the trailhead, and stampeding mules are a concern in narrow sections of the canyon. Serious crime associated with poverty on the Hualapai Indian Reservation can be a problem. There can be lots of trash, feces, and urine in the campground (especially near the cliffs), so be careful in selecting a campsite; we moved to an open area along the trail without any bushes. If you drink from the creek, be sure to treat the water. Water in not available at the trailhead. This is an Indian Reservation, so U.S. Law does not necessarily apply.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. There is a lot of trash all along the trail; please don't add to it. There is a store and cafe in Supai Village, but the trail is long, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Be sure that you are physically fit and that you choose routes of the appropriate difficulty for your skills and endurance.

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, on the south side of the Grand Canyon, far to the west (before) of the South Rim area, but still about 5-6 hours southeast of Las Vegas.

From town, drive out towards the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Supai is off Highway 66, not Interstate 40, so take Historic Route 66 northeast from Kingman, Arizona.

In Kingman, exit Interstate 40 (Exit 53) and turn left onto Route 66. Top off the gas tank here. Drive northeast on Route 66 for about 47 miles to Peach Springs. Continue past Peach Springs on Route 66 for 7 more miles to Indian Road 18 (Table 1, Site Road_1), which is easy to miss. Turn left onto Indian Road 18 and drive north (watch for loose cattle on the road!) for about 65 miles to Hualapai Hilltop at the end of the road (Site Road_2). Park here, this is the trailhead.

The Hike

Hualapai Hilltop, the end of the road, has parking, a heliport, and pit toilets. Sometimes Tribal Members can be found selling canned drinks, fried food, and other stuff to the tourists, but don't count on it. Bring everything you need: there is no water, food, or gas at Hualapai Hilltop.

From the trailhead at Hualapai Hilltop (Table 2, Wpt. 1), the route starts down the wide path at the north end of the parking area by the outhouses. The path is well worn, and parts were paved, but some parts are worn out and there is the possibility of stumbling off the trail. The trail is not steep, but it is rocky with sand on the rocks that makes them slippery. The trail switchbacks and winds down through the white Coconino Sandstone, eventually dropping through a cleft in the cliffs onto the Hermit Shale.

In the Hermit, the trail runs at a moderate grade down the hillside towards the bottom of the canyon. There is some multiple trailing in here, but all trails lead down to the wash. At the end of the slope, the trail cuts down across a hillside with red cliffs into the bottom of the Hualapai Wash (Wpt. 2).

The route runs down the open wash at a gentle grade, heading for red sandstone cliffs at the top of the Supai Formation. Walking down the wash is fairly easy because the gravel is moderately firm in most places, and at each bend in the canyon, there is a trail up on the bank to shortcut the turn. In fact, there are trails up on the bank almost everywhere that the canyon is wide enough for a bank.

Farther down the canyon, cliffs force the trail into the bottom of the wash, although pour-overs are bypassed by the trail. These narrow sections of canyon bottom and narrow sections of trail can be a safety hazard for hikers because mule skinners "run" pack trains down the canyon -- often at a literal run, sending hikers scurrying for clefts in the walls and boulders to hide behind.

After running through some narrow sections, the canyon widens and opens up into Havasu Canyon (Wpt. 3) with Havasu Creek and Havasu Spring a short ways to the east. The trail becomes more road-like as it runs down the canyon. Up to this point, shade was provided by the towering cliffs, but now shade is provided by dense stands of cottonwood, mesquite, and willow trees.

The route runs down Havasu Canyon, following an irrigation canal for a while. Roads and trails start to fork off, but watch for sign such as "Cross Bridge to Village" to find your way.

About a mile after hitting Havasu Canyon, the road enters the outskirts of Supai Village. The main road is obvious as the route passes farm fields, corrals, and houses. The route passes the first store (Wpt. 4), the "Sinulella Store" my notes say, with cold drinks and snacks.

Downtown, all hikers must stop at the Campground Office (Wpt. 5) and pay your entrance, environmental, and camping fees. Check the tribal website for current fees, but expect $35 to enter, a $5 "environmental fee," and $17 per person per night for camping, and of course, there is a 10% tax on all fees.

Just beyond the Campground Office (Wpt. 5) is the heliport, and that is adjacent to the Supai Cafe (Wpt. 6), which serves cold drinks and fast food. Surprisingly, the prices are quite reasonable. Across the street from the cafe is the general store, post office, and clinic.

The main road, the route to the falls and campground, is fairly obvious. The road main wraps around the cafe and heads west a few steps to the school, where it turns right and runs north outside the schoolyard fence. Beyond the school, the main road turns left at the Havasupai Bible Church (in front of the lodge) and runs west again. After that, other roads fork off, but the route to the falls remains obvious.

The road runs down the canyon, which gets narrower but not narrow, and runs under the shade of cottonwood trees. About 30 minutes from the village, the road passes Navajo Falls (Wpt. 7), which is a cascade with hanging gardens. The falls are pretty, but difficult to photograph. Hike down to the edge of the water for better views.

Shortly after Navajo Falls, the road crosses two bridges (Wpt. 8) to switch back onto the west side of the creek. Shortly after that, the floor of the canyon falls away as hikers approach the top of Havasu Falls (Wpt 9).

The trail runs steeply through cliffs down along the west side of the falls, and other trails cut back to the bottom of the falls.

At the bottom of the cliffs, the road passes a bank of outhouses and enters the campground (Wpt. 10). The main trail runs down the west side of the creek, with campsites along the creek and against the west wall, plus a few campsites across the creek.

Shortly after entering the campground, there is a stone building against the cliffs on the west side of the canyon. Behind the building, clean drinking water flows out of a pipe stuck into the cliff to tap Fern Spring. A pipe with water also comes out of the building, but who knows what is inside; I took my chances with the cliff.

The campground is pretty trashed. It was obvious that the entrance, camping, and environmental fees didn't go to much other than managing the outhouses (bring your own paper). Many of the picnic tables were broken, some were thrown in the creek or back against the cliffs, and many campsites had no table. In fact, sites are not defined and campground limits seem to be ignored. As many people as are willing to pay can pack into the camping area.

There was also a lot of feces, urine, and trash in the campground. When we arrived at the campground, the outhouses were being helicoptered out to Hilltop for servicing. Unfortunately, it took some 4 hours for them to come back, and many people apparently couldn't wait. Be careful selecting campsites back against the cliffs because there might be surprises in secluded areas. There is another set of outhouses at the north end of the campground (Wpt. 11), about 0.6 miles away. However, it seems that many people in the middle of the campground, about 1/3 of a mile from the outhouses, don't bother to walk all the way.

Beyond the campground, the trail cuts down a cliff using caves, chains, ladders, and other scary things to get down to the bottom of Mooney Falls. It seemed very exposed and dangerous to me, but nobody seems to fall off and die, so I guess it is okay enough -- but do be careful, especially when trying to pass people going in the opposite direction.

Below Mooney, trails continue down to Beaver Falls and eventually the Colorado River.

Return to the trailhead by retracing your footsteps, or consider flying out in a helicopter.

Campground -- open areas under trees, some with picnic tables. The canyon is fairly narrow here: note the cliffs at the right edge of the photo. The creek is just to the left of the photo.

Campground section across the creek (view east). I'm not sure I would want to carry my full backpack across that rickety bridge, but at least those people didn't have hiking walking past their campsite all day and night.

Typical campsite: a picnic table under a tree overlooking the creek.

Fern Spring water station behind the stone building. With all the Maidenhair ferns, bugs, and frogs, the water must be good to drink. A metal pipe comes out of the cliff (foreground) and a PVC pipe comes out of the building (background). No telling what is inside the building; I'd rather use the metal pipe.

Outhouses at campground entrance; be sure to bring your own paper. There is a similar bank of outhouses at far end of campground, about 0.6 miles away.