About 450 members of the Havasupai Tribe or Havasu 'Baaja live on the Havasupai Reservation. Their ancestors have occupied the area for hundreds of years. Their present-day economy is tourism based – primarily for hikers and naturalists interested in the beauty and challenges of the Grand Canyon, especially the four waterfalls in the area of the village of Supai.
Supai is reached by driving the path of old Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman Arizona. Highway 18 is well marked for Supai and it takes you 60 miles northeast on a well-paved road to the Hualipai Hilltop. From there, there are three ways into and out of the village: helicopter, hiking or horse. The village is 8 miles down from the hilltop. Prior arrangements are needed for transportation, for camping or for staying at the Supai Lodge (928-448-2111).
On June 28-30, 2004, myself and friends Ken & Terry decided to hike into the village, stay 2 nights, see the waterfalls and hike out on the third morning. We made our lodge reservation months in advance to be sure to get our desired dates. Staying in the lodge really lightens the load, but most visitors preferred to use the campground. Many used the pack mules to carry their tents and supplies down the 10 miles from the hilltop to the camping area.
We left Las Vegas at 4:30am, crossed the Hoover Dam and proceeded to the hilltop with a gas/rest stop in Kingman. We arrived at a busy hilltop at 8am and jockeyed for a parking space near an RV. After loading our supplies on our backs, we located the trailhead. As we approached, there were many bags organized on the ground awaiting pick up by pack mules.
Much of the 2000 foot elevation change is encountered in the first mile over a wide, rocky series of switchbacks. We soon encountered a string of hikers who had obviously left the Supai campgrounds at sunrise. They looked very tired taking slow, deliberate steps. Then we noticed the mule trains all along the switchbacks. Most consisted of about 10 mules roped to each other followed by two drivers on horseback (with rope switches) and a pair of dogs. These teams don’t walk by. They run fast up the steep hill. Some have empty mail trays tightly tied to their sides. Others are running without cargo, but not for long.
After stepping aside for the mule teams, we finished descending the switchbacks and rounded the bend into the travertine canyon. We followed a well-worn trail along a rocky wash with high colorful canyon walls on both sides. A few times the trail split, but always rejoined a short bit later. I didn’t realize until we returned that we were still losing much altitude in this seemingly level wash. After crunching through the gravelly trail, we finally came to signs for the village and heard the rushing stream.
From this point, following the stream takes you to the village. We crossed the stream on a wooden bridge and continued on the trail. As we approached the village, the trail turned to loose sand. We would be walking in this sand for the next two days. In most places, it was easier to walk close to the edge where the trail was less used and the sand more packed.
We soon entered the village and encountered a “store”. This was really a small area of a home that had soft drinks, snacks and other items. This was not Wal-Mart! Everything was unorganized and it appeared that they sell whatever they may get on a particular day. 
Continuing on, we pass more single story wooden homes. Most have plywood covering what was once windows. Home improvement is not a favored activity in Supai. Most yards are surrounded with barbed wire to keep in a team of mules. Dogs are free to roam the entire village and they are neither friendly nor aggressive. We pass the Supai post office and general store. A “restaurant” is across the street. We can see the tribal offices behind the post office building. Continuing on, we see a quanset hut church, then the lodge which is enclosed by a fence. Whatever the village may be lacking is easily forgiven by the dark red canyon walls. Some of these walls are cracked into horizontal lines which make them resemble tall condominium buildings. But the main attraction are the waterfalls!
We made our reservation for the Havasupai Lodge five months in advance. Since there are no phones and TV, I expected a rustic, if not primitive room. I was surprised to find a very clean, modern room. The bathroom had just been renovated and the entire unit was clean. We checked in, took a short rest, and it was off to Navajo Falls about a mile and a half past the lodge.
We trudged over the sandy trail passing a few houses and lots of mule droppings along the way. An irrigation ditch followed the trail bringing perfectly clear water down. We began to hear the falls. The falls were impressive dropping from the wooded mountains. Navajo Falls disappears into the brush a couple times only to re-emerge farther down.
Dinner was at the café. Burgers and fry bread salads and tacos were on the menu. Prices are reasonable considering that everything is brought in by copter.
Water and snacks are available at the store across the sandy street. Mule droppings are everywhere in Supai. We searched for post cards and T-shirts. I wanted to send cards up the hill by mule mail. The store didn’t have these, but we found them at a gift shop with a very limited inventory. Retail marketing is not a major enterprise in Supai.
The following day, we arose at 3:30am anxious to hike down to the remaining falls. We waited until 4:30 when there was sufficient light to follow the path. We passed Navajo Falls and proceeded to the campground. Tents were visible along a half mile stretch and most campers were sleeping – some right by the trail, others in more private areas near the rushing stream.
We soon reached Havasu Falls and I enjoyed the surrounding panorama as much as the falls. The towering canyon walls with spires and suspended rocks on top were awesome. Though we were in these canyons for 3 days, I didn’t tire of looking at them.
My original goal was to hike past Beaver Falls all the way to the Colorado River. When we reached Mooney Falls, I quickly saw that this was not going to happen. To proceed past Mooney requires climbing through a cave and then climbing down chains to a lower valley. I decided I was not going to do this at my age. Ken agreed, but Terry wanted to give it a try. He too decided against it after entering the cave and studying the chain mounts. None of the web sites I researched pointed out that this was required to proceed further. There is no other way! Mooney Falls was very enjoyable – even from the top looking down.
Wednesday found us rising again at 3:30am to get an early start on hiking out. Terry was confident that we could reach the hilltop in five hours. Ken & I were figuring on seven. We were joined by Roger & Margaret, nice folks from Manchester England whom we had chatted with the day before. We stopped many times up the hill and to our surprise, we made it in only 4.5 hours. We even beat the mules with our postcards!