December 17, 2024

Ultimate Havasupai Falls itinerary adventure

Congrats! you got Havasupai Falls permit and you get to go to this enchanting place. Now you have to plan on how to prepare for the hike, what to pack, and how should you plan your 3 nights and 4 days adventure in this beautiful place so you can get the most out of this experience.

Here are a few ultimate Havasupai Falls itinerary adventure options for you to check out so you don’t waste time and stress out figuring out what to do once you get there.

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Havasupai Falls packing list
Camping at Havasupai Falls, Arizona
Everything you need to know about Havasupai Falls

Day 0- Check in

The day before your hike you will be checking in at the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn which is located at mile marker 115, Route 66 near Seligman.

AZ-66, Peach Springs, AZ 86434

Hopefully you booked a room here so you don’t have to drive to another Motel/Inn/AirBnB and you can just relax and get your last minute backpacking adjustments.

Itinerary #1

If you’re planning on getting the most out of this stay and you want to explore all the waterfalls and hike to the confluence, this is your ideal Havasupai Falls itinerary.

Day 1- Hike in

The only road that leads you to the Hilltop trailhead is Indian Rd 18 which is about an hour long drive. The road is paved but it’s not lit up at all so you have to drive slow to avoid wildlife and crazy brave cows.

TIP: There are no light on this road so please drive slow and watch out for wildlife! You will encounter plenty of suicidal bunnies, some elk, horses, and cows. The cows just happen to have a black coat so it’s extra hard to see them when you’re driving in what seemed like the darkest road I’ve ever been on. They’re not just laying on the side of the road and move the minute they feel a car coming, oh no! quite the opposite! these cows love to lay right in the middle of the road and won’t move even when their life depends on it so make sure to drive slow!

Your hike start time will depend on what time of the year you go but you will want to wake up before dawn the day you hike in and out to beat the sun, specially if you go during the hotter months (June, July, and August).

Spring hike:
- We went in early May and we ended up waking up at 4:30 AM to get ourselves ready, drop off our room key, and start the drive to the Hilltop trailhead.
- Start your hike by 6 AM.
Summer hike:
- Start your hike at 4 AM to beat the sun.
Winter hike:
- Daylight is very limited, from 7 AM to 5 PM so you want to start your hike before noon so you’re able to set up camp before the sun goes down.

Hopefully you find a parking spot close to the trail and start hiking by 6 AM so you can get to the campground before 10 AM and get a good camping spot. We started at almost 7 AM and camping spots were getting taken quickly.
Once you find your ideal camping spot and set up camp, go explore the top of Mooney Falls or Havasupai Falls.
- Make dinner and go to bed early.

Check out the post about camping in Havasupai Falls, Arizona to get an idea of what type of campsites you will see at the campground and how to snag a premium spot.

Day 2- Explore lower waterfalls

Mooney falls:
- Wake up early and try to finish breakfast by 7 or 7:30 AM so you can climb down Mooney falls without having to queue in line.
- It might be too cold to swim and relax in the area across the creek at this time but I recommend exploring it on your way back from Beaver Falls.

Beaver falls:
- This is a 6-mile round trip hike from the top of Mooney Falls.
- There will be more than a few water crossings to get to Beaver falls so make sure to have good water shoes.
  - I didn’t want to be changing my shoes every water crossing so I decided to just wear these water shoes with toe socks and I didn’t have an issue with blisters.
- If you’re planning on hiking to the confluence, make sure to not stop here for too long.
  - Stop here and enjoy the waterfalls on your way back from the confluence.

The Confluence:
- If you’re not an avid hiker I would not recommend to do this hike after 10:30 AM.
- It is an 18+ mile round trip hike and you don’t want to climb up Mooney Falls after the sun goes down.

TIP:

Don’t forget to bring your headlamp just in case you end up losing track of time or can’t easily get your way back from the confluence so you can see when you’re climbing Mooney falls.
Pack more food that you think you need.
Take a filtration system bottle when you hike to the confluence.

Day 3- Explore upper waterfalls

This should be a day where you should go easy because your body needs to recharge for tomorrow’s hike so exploring the upper waterfalls and relaxing should be a priority.

Havasu Falls:
- Havasu falls is the most popular out of all the waterfalls in Havasupai so it will start to get pretty crowded around 9:30 to 10 AM.
- Visit this waterfall first thing in the morning so you can get it all to yourself.

50 Foot Falls:
- Think of this waterfall as a big shallow pool with the most amount of sun exposure.
- You can explore behind the waterfalls!
- One of the least visited waterfalls due to it not having a well-defined trail and there’s not too many places to place your dry stuff.
- Hike up heading towards the village about a mile from campground.

Little Navajo Falls:
- The youngest waterfall of all 6!
- Waterfalls are not as high as 50 foot falls but they do fan out and are located in a shallow pool with plenty of sun exposure as well.
- Located about a mile from the campground.

Take a break from exploring the upper waterfalls and head to one of the Fry bread stands to fuel up. They are famous for their Indian tacos and sweet fry bread with nutella, bananas, and strawberries, or head to the Cafe and get something to eat there and explore the village a little more.

After your break, head over to Hidden Falls!

Hidden Falls:
- The least visited waterfall out of all due to it not being listed on the map.
- It’s an adventure getting to this waterfall!
- There is no cliff jumping allowed but majority of people that were there were having a blast jumping off the cliff.
- Great spot to eat your lunch if you packed one.

Day 4- Hike out

Wake up before the crack of dawn:
- You should wake up around 3 or 3:30 AM to start packing and hiking up towards the village if you’re thinking about doing any of the following things:
  - Ride the helicopter out: People start standing in line to be able to put their names first on the helicopter’s wait list for the day pretty early. I was passing the helipad by 4 AM and there was already a decent line!
  - Hiking out in during summer: Temperatures reach the three digits pretty early and you definitely don’t want the sun beating down on you for a long time before you even reach the switchbacks.
  - Hiking out with minimal sun exposure by the time you get to the switchbacks.
    - My nephew and I ended up waking up a little after 3:30 AM and by the time we got to the switchbacks, the sun was already starting to get a bit too warm on our skin after hiking for hours. We made it to the Hilltop by 7:20 AM.
Wake up, relax for a little, then start your hike after noon.
- This is perfect when if you’re hiking out during the colder months and don’t have to rush to get to an airport or drive back home and have a place to stay for the night somewhere nearby.

TIP: I highly recommend taking electrolytes before you start hiking out or before you’re halfway done so you’re not dying like I was on those switchbacks.

Itinerary #2

If you’re skipping the hike to the confluence but you’re looking to still get the most out of your stay and explore all the waterfalls, this Havasupai Falls itinerary is for you.

Day 1- hike in

Same as itinerary #1

Day 2- Explore lower waterfalls

Mooney Falls:
- Wake up early and be ready to decend Mooney Falls around 8 or a little past 8 so you don’t have to wait in queue.
- Explore across the creek on your way back from Beaver Falls.
Beaver Falls:
- You will have about 4-5 water crossings varying in depth but the deepest crossing shouldn’t go over your waist.
- The earlier you wake up, the more time you will have to enjoy the falls without the crowds. It starts to get crowded around 10 AM.
- There’s a little cave right under the second waterfall in Beaver Falls you can explore and you can also swim across and climb up the top of the waterfall to find more little pools.
Back to exploring Mooney Falls:
- On your way back, make sure to stop at Mooney Falls one more time and explore the area across the creek. There’s a rope you can use to hang and drop into one of the pools and you get a different view of the fall.
Take a break and have some lunch at Havasu Falls:
- Stop by one of the fry bread stands and order an Indian taco and maybe their sweet fry bread too with nutella, bananas, and stawberries. Hopefully the stand is right above Havasu Falls and you can head down to Havasu falls and enjoy your meal there.
- Explore the left side of Havasu Falls and go explore the cave on the right side.
- Some local kids love to cliff jump but I encourage you not to do it here.
Go back to camp and relax:
- Havasu falls can get too crowded sometimes so you can always go back to camp and relax there.
- If you got a “waterfront” spot, you can jump in the creek and enjoy a little swim there before dinner.

Day 3- Explore the upper waterfalls

Same as intineray #1:
- You could skip Havasu Falls today and just explore the other waterfalls.
Explore the Village:
- You could have lunch at the Cafe and explore the village. The locals are incredibly nice and it was nice talking to them when we went there.
- If you haven’t gotten a souvenir, head to the post office and mail yourself a postcard! Havasupai Reservation has the last official mail-by-mule route in the country so mailing yourself a postcard makes it the perfect souvenir.
Relax at the campground:
- Let your body recharge before tomorrow’s hike.

Day 4- Hike out

Same as itinerary #1