Start planning your next Arizona outdoors trip—a major natural attraction is about to reopen to tourists. Havasupai Falls, which includes the incredible blue stream of Havasu Falls, will officially reopen to visitors on February 1, 2023.
Havasupai Falls, which is on the Havasupai Reservation on the western edge of the Grand Canyon's South Rim and recently underwent a name change, is a protected native site. The 295-square-mile reservation, including its center, Supai Village, is only accessible by an 8-mile trek, by foot or horseback. It's incredibly photogenic and known to be awe-inspiring to watch, making the voyage one of the most difficult National Park reservations to secure.
Seeing the bright blue falls is a highlight of many visitors' voyages to the Grand Canyon, and often requires at least one night of camping or staying at the lodge on the Havasupai-managed site. The reservations are highly coveted, and often sell out months in advance.
Starting February 1, all hikers will be required to secure a permit to visit the reservation, which is an eight-mile hike in each direction from the top of the Grand Canyon. The campground is an additional two-mile hike and requires advance reservations. Permits will cost $100, Mondays through Thursdays, and $123 Fridays through Sundays.
For a chance at scoring a reservation, visitors must create an account online, and check for openings each morning.
To help tourists plan their visits to Havasupai Falls, the tribe suggests following their Facebook page, Havasupai Tribe Tourism.
When Havasupai Falls closed in March 2020 to protect the health of Tribal members, the tourism break wasn't intended to last three years. On October 1, 2022, severe flooding destroyed several bridges and trails. This not only disrupted community life but also made it difficult for visitors to reach the area. Now, with successful restorations underway, the permit holder can once again witness the beauty of the remote area.
"This has been a trying experience for all involved and we appreciate your patience as we move through this transition. However, there are many positive things as a result," The Havasupai Tribe posted in a memo. "While you may see downed trees on the trails where the flood crashed through, you will also see flourishing flora and fauna and new waterfall flows. This is truly a great time to visit and please know that we are eager to welcome tourists back to our beautiful Reservation."