Only 10 days away from visiting paradise and I am beyond excited to go back for a second time. I did a quick recap on last year's trip to Havasu Falls so check it out in the very slim chance you haven't already heard about the infamous blue-green waters. Otherwise, read on for my planning guide to Havasu Falls.
My quick recap briefly touched upon permits, budget and itinerary but this post will do a deeper dive into packing for Havasu Falls, planning your itinerary and understanding the general area. This will be my first time camping there (last year I stayed at the lodge) so my next post will cover hiking and camping with lessons learned from this year's trip.
Packing for Havasu Falls
I've heard that when packing for a backpacking trip, it's important to remember that less is more. This is something I struggle with given that I normally pack a large roll-y suitcase for a weekend trip, so bare with me if you think I should pack even lighter.
- Create a planning guide. The first thing I do when planning a trip is create a Google Doc with separate tabs for research, itinerary and packing list. Throw some columns on the packing list so you can break it down by category (e.g., clothing, food, equipment, etc) or quantity (e.g., individual vs. group). It'll help you decide what's a need-to-have or nice-to-have. See below for a sample of my packing list for Havasu Falls.
- Check the weather. This will give you an idea of what kind of clothes you'll need for the trip, which can majorly impact your load. When I visit Supai Village it's going to be mid-high 70's with a 35% humidity level, so I'll try to pack light with 2 pairs of shorts, 4 tops and a bathing suit.
- Follow the sun. Look up the sunrise and sunset times. This is crucial for planning your itinerary, especially if you're going to be doing an all day hike with difficult trails.
The Waterfalls of Havasu Canyon
Although Havasu Falls is the most well known, there are plenty of other falls that are just as gorgeous. I actually recommend going to the lesser known falls for a higher chance of having the falls to yourself. They're further away and some are harder to get to but it's worth it.
- Navajo Falls - easy trail (1.5 miles north of Supai Village)
- Havasu Falls - easy trail (2 miles north of Supai Village; <0.5 mile south of campground)
- Mooney Falls - moderate trail (0.5 mile north of campground)
- Beaver Falls - tbd (4 miles north of campground)
4-Day Itinerary for Havasu Falls
Since this is my second time planning a Havasu Falls trip, my focus is going to be on Beaver Falls and The Confluence, where Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River. Most people say it's a challenging trail, about 8 miles one way from the campgrounds, so I'm dedicating a full day to it.
- Day 1: Hike in and set up camp.
- Day 2: Hike to The Confluence.
- Day 3: Hike to Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls.
- Day 4: Hike out.
Who else was lucky enough to secure permits to Havasu Falls?? If you have other questions about my planning guide to Havasu Falls feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. I'm happy to help :)
xo, elle