Did you know that there are breathtaking waterfalls located in the Grand Canyon? If you haven’t heard of Havasupai Falls, you’re missing out.

The five Havasupai Falls include Navajo Falls, Fifty Foot Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls.

Havasu Falls is the most famous of the aqua-blue Havasupai waterfalls that spill over amazing orange cliffs, in a desert oasis. The stark contrast between the dry, desert landscape of the Havasu Canyon and the lush vegetation near the water, makes for a true tropical paradise experience!

know before you go

You MUST have a permit to hike Havasupai. There are NOT day passes. You cannot show up and go.

We were able to book our reservation over the phone, but that is a thing of the past. Even then, it was nearly impossible to book. We have tried booking future trips since, with no luck.

To make camping reservations/permits for Havasupai, you must reserve online here, dates to apply for reservations will change. Check the website for details.

Prices:

• Monday – Thursday: $100/night
• Friday – Sunday: $125/night

if you’re a princess

You can also book a stay at the Havasupai Lodge, if you’re a baby and not up for camping like you should be doing. Yes, I said it. Prices are $440 a night. So if you want to be a princess, do your thing buttercup. If you’re assuming you’ll get a 5-star resort, think again. Read the lodge reviews here. But alas, If you still want to book, you can do so here.

they call this cheating

Again, if you’re a princess and want to do things the WRONG way, you can also helicopter into Supai Village. The flight leaves from Hualapai Hilltop and drops you off in Supai Village, 2 miles from Havasu Falls Campground. The helicopters are first come first serve, and the flight is less than 10 minutes.

I have no shame in saying this: you cannot brag about Havasupai if you didn’t hike it. Yes, of course, there are exceptions to this, I get it. It’s a strenuous and long journey, but you gotta earn the street cred if you want to brag, my friend.

HIKING INTO THE GRAND CANYON

We definitely did not use the horses or mules to pack our gear. We packed in and out ourselves. In fact, most of the animals carrying gear looked extremely malnourished and over-heated. It was really sad to see. In my opinion, if you’re going to do this experience, do it right. That means packing your own stuff!! Pack smart and make sure you have a great backpack!

It’s a beautiful and breathtaking hike! That being said, it’s a hike. Not your casual walk-in-the-park kind of hike either. Keep in mind that you are hiking into the Grand Canyon, where the only shade comes from the amazing rock formations.

It’s an 8-mile hike just to Supi Village, but there is a little pit-stop set up between the beginning of your hike and the village.

It’s put in the best possible spot for you to spend all of your money and not be mad at it. I paid $10 for a can of cold Coke, and it was the best money I ever spent. The water in my hydration pack was really warm at this point. I would’ve given a limb for anything cold.

Moral of the story: bring cash!

Supai Indian reservation

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From the village, it’s another 2 miles to the campground. Havasu Falls is then just a half-mile away.

After all that hiking, coming around the corner to see this amazing view was the most praise-Jesus moment!

The waterfalls of the Grand Canyon are like no other in the world and visiting them is truly an opportunity of a lifetime. I’m here to tell you that NO pictures will ever truly do it justice. Nothing compares to seeing it in person. It’s amazing!!

Havasu falls

Undoubtedly the main attraction, and for good reason, Havasu Falls is truly one of the most amazing things I have, and ever will, see in my lifetime.

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Mooney falls

Mooney Falls is named after James Mooney, a miner who fell to his death in 1882.

Comforting, right? You’re telling me. I actually made the mistake of watching YouTube videos of people climbing down Mooney Falls prior to our trip, so I was pretty terrified. It is notoriously known as the most strenuous and dangerous waterfall to access on the Havasu Creek Trail.

It’s steep! There are metal chains and ladders to assist you in climbing down, and the falls crashing next to it make it incredibly wet and slippery!

But it was so incredibly worth it!

You cannot do all that hiking, just to stop and not do Mooney Falls. I’m here to tell you that it isn’t even half as bad as I had mentally prepared myself for. When I got to the bottom, I felt like a freaking champ. And if you don’t do it, you will miss out on so many more beautiful things! The experience isn’t even close to being over!

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past Mooney falls

There is an (almost) never-ending number of waterfalls and beauty located past Mooney Falls. You can hike through the water and explore for hours. That’s what we did!

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We went in June, and the water was pretty cold. But, when you’re hiking in the desert, it feels amazing!

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There are tons of opportunities to cliff-jump!

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There’s something so breathtaking about seeing lush greenery in the desert, and I couldn’t get enough of it!

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I loved seeing all of the wooden ladders everywhere! (Especially when they weren’t attached to a sketchy hike down a steep cliff)

Navajo falls

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Ok, full disclosure here: I am a TERRIBLE swimmer. I’m not a real adult.

This next picture was taken RIGHT before I almost drown in the falls. Word of warning for those of you that might be slow like me: the falls are very rapid. You get sucked in very easily, especially the closer you get to the actual falls. Don’t be Jessi.

leaving Havasu

We all agreed that we hiked about 32 miles total in 24 hours. That includes everything past Mooney Falls and hiking back out of the Grand Canyon.

We knew that we were going to be incredibly sore if we slept, so instead of staying the second night at the campground, we opted to hike out at night, with headlamps. Does it sound sketchy? It was.

picture this:

You’re in the Grand Canyon, which means – no moonlight. It was pitch-black.

…. Unless you count the random animal eyes you would catch every few miles, not knowing what kind of animal it was. That’s always fun!

None of us had slept in over 24 hours, so mixing that with all the hiking we had already done, plus the complete darkness, let’s just say, it was interesting, to say the least. It made for a good story!

And, bonus points for me: when I finally reached the top of the Grand Canyon, there was a stray dog there to greet me. And yes, I pet it. Duh.

If you haven’t been, stop living vicariously through everyone’s photos, and GO! You won’t regret it.