Get Ready for 2024 Havasu Falls Permits! Everything You Need to Know About the Permit Process to Increase Your Chances at Grabbing a 2024 Havasupai Permit This Season

Getting a Havasu Falls Permit is arguably the most difficult part of the Havasu Falls hike, and each year getting a permit to hike Havasu Falls gets more and more competitive.

In fact, according to the Havasupai Reservations website, most permits sell out the first day reservations open. You are REQUIRED to have a permit PRIOR to your visit, so no walk-ins, and sorry, no day hiking allowed.

I want to help you be as prepared as possible for this process, because… yes, it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and so worth the hassle and cost! In order to increase your chances at grabbing a permit this 2024 season, this entire article is dedicated to helping you be as prepared as possible to grab YOUR Havasupai Permit this season.

Guide to Getting Havasu Falls Permits

I’ve structured this post to cover everything you need to know specifically about the Havasu Falls permit process without sorting through Havasu Falls hiking details. But if you want to read more about the hike itself, you can do that here: The Ultimate Guide to Hiking Havasu Falls

Here’s what we are going to cover:

1. What’s New in 2024 for the Havasu Fall Permit Process

2. When to Apply

3. Where to Apply

4. How to Apply Step-by-Step (i.e. what does the process look like)

5. Cost: How Much do Havasu Falls Hike Permits Cost in 2024?

6. The Fine Print Behind your Permit for Havasu Falls (Things to Consider!)

7. Tips for Increasing Your Chances of Grabbing a Havasu Permit in 2024

8. What to Do if You Don’t Grab a Permit on Opening Day

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1) What’s new in 2024 for the Havasu Fall Permit Process?

In 2024, the Havasupai Tribe has introduced a presale reservation system for the first time. The new presale registration period opens at 8 am Arizona time on January 5, 2024 and runs through 5 pm Arizona time on January 18, 2024. During this period, tourists will have an opportunity to purchase a limited number of reservations before the public on-sale opening day of February 1, 2024.

During the presale, tourists can register to purchase a 2024 reservation for the campground and/or lodge on 3 desired start dates, as well as a designated month if the desired reservation start dates are not available. The presale selection requires a non-refundable fee of $15 per permit, and reservations are not guaranteed.

For more details about the new 2024 presale process, visit the official Havasupai Reservations site.

2) When to Apply

A presale for Havasupai permits will run from 8am January 5 through 5pm January 18, 2024. Any remaining available permits will then be released on the public on-sale opening day at 8am on February 1, 2024.

Check the Havasupai Reservation site for all the detailed information about reservation dates.

Note: Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, make sure you adjust for your specific time zone appropriately.

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3) Where to Apply

YOU MUST APPLY FOR YOUR HAVASUPAI FALLS CAMPING RESERVATION ONLINE! This is the only method to apply for permits for the Havasu Fall hike. You used to be able to also call and get reservations, but now it’s all done online.

Where specifically? Go to the Havasupai Reservations website and first set up an account.  You MUST make an account on the Havasupai website in order to get a campsite reservation, and it’s best to do this in advance!

Again, there are no phone reservations!

4) How to Apply Step-by-Step (i.e. what does the process look like)

I can’t guarantee that the process will look exactly the same in 2024 as it did before, because the reservation system for 2024 is not currently open. (I’ll update the visuals accordingly once reservations reopen if anything has changed). Here is a step-by-step visual guide of what the online reservation process looked like the last time it was open.

Before Havasu reservation day (Feb 1), set up your Havasu Falls account ahead of time. You can do this at https://www.havasupaireservations.com/

During the account set up process you will:

• Enter an email address and create a password for the account (save this information for later)

• Check your email to confirm your email address

• Fill out the required account information such as: name, email, phone, address,

• Optional: add a payment method to your account (I suggest doing this to make the process faster on permit day)

• Read the Havasupai agreement and confirm that you’ve read it.

• Then wait for opening day to grab you Havasupai permits!

On Opening Day:

1) When you go to the reservation website, you will click "Make A Campground Reservation". Again, you’ll want to do this on February 1st. Be online as soon as the reservation system opens.

2) Then you will see a page where you select the number of people and days you want the reservation for. Reservations must be for 3 nights.

3) You will then be directed to another page which shows you the start dates available. Select the dates you want accordingly. It’s good to have a variety of dates that you can choose so that you increase your chances of getting a Havasu Falls camping permit. Be flexible on dates.

4) You will have a timed limit to make up your mind, select your dates, and press continue. The final page is still "timed", and you will need to enter your details and payment info before that time is up in order to secure your Havasupai camping permits. We recommend that you set up your account details and payment info AHEAD of time before February 1st.

5) Cost: How much do Havasu Falls permits cost in 2024?

This hike has gotten extremely popular, and the prices seem to rise every year. When I first did this hike back in 2016, I think we only paid about $80 a person, but it is much more expensive now.

For 2024, the pricing is $455 per person for a 3-night campground permit.

You must pay for your reservation in full at the time the reservation is made. So if you have a big group going on the hike, be sure to let your group members know to pay you up front.

Be prepared to throw down some cash for this hike, but trust me, it is totally worth the cost! If there is ever a hike that you spend a bit of money to experience, this is definitely one of them!

6) The Fine Print behind your Permit for Havasu Falls (Things to Consider!)

There are a bunch of little rules and fine print around the Havasu Falls permit process. Here are a few things you should keep in mind as you prepare for grabbing 2024 Havasupai Falls backpacking permits.

• How many people can be on one reservation? A campground reservation can include up to 12 people max. However, keep in mind that the larger your group is the harder it might be to get a Havasu Falls backpacking permit for a specific weekend. I recommend between 4-8 in a group.

• Minimum & maximum night stay: All campground reservations will be for 3 nights / 4 days.

• No day hiking is allowed! Also, please take note of some of the other rules on the Havasu Falls Trail. There are no drones allowed. There is no cliff jumping allowed, and there is no alcohol and drugs allowed. Plus, no littering, which I shouldn't have to even say here because you shouldn't go hiking if you intend to litter. That's just not cool.

• There is only one name on the reservation, and that person on the reservation MUST be present on the hike or else the Havasupai hiking permit isn’t valid. YOU MUST BRING YOUR PHOTO ID ON THE HIKE TO CONFIRM.

• Can I get a refund if I decide to cancel my trip? You can now transfer reservations online for a 10% fee. To do so, simply view the details of an existing campground reservation from your account on the Havasupai Reservations website, click the "Transfer Reservation" button, and then choose how many spots (one, some, or all) to transfer away.

• Don’t forget this! Make sure to bring a printed copy of the email confirmation of your campground reservation or at least a screenshot of your reservation on your phone. Also make sure that you know your license plate number (or have a photo of it) of your vehicle that is parked at the trailhead. These things are all required at check in!

• No one is permitted to proceed past the Supai Village without a wristband, so make sure that everyone in your group has a wristband before heading to the Campground.

• Is there a fee/permit for parking? There is no fee or permit needed for parking and generally there is plenty of parking for everyone. Do not park in areas that say no-parking and do not park in the parking area by the helipad. Please note that RV parking is tight, and might be trickier.

• Your reservations are only for the hike and campground. If you want to book a spot at the lodge, you will need to do this separately, and they can be even harder to get.

7) Tips for Increasing Your Chances of Grabbing a Permit to Hike Havasu Falls in 2024

The best way to increase your chances of getting a Havasupai permit is to use the new presale reservation system. While reservations are not guaranteed through the presale, participating in the the presale will significantly increase your chances of getting a reservation for one of your preferred dates.

How can I guarantee that I get a Havasu Falls camping reservation!? You can’t “guarantee” anything in this system, unfortunately, because it’s highly competitive. However, my best advice is to team up. While I mentioned that it might be harder to get a permit to Havasu Falls for a larger group, this could go both ways.

I had some friends in 2019 who had a group of 8 people they wanted to grab permits for. All 8 of them woke up early on February 1st to grab permits and just had a mass group text going to let each other know if someone "got in" for the dates that they wanted (that way not all 8 of them were buying permits). One of them was able to get a reservation, so they were successful on their 1st try.

Here’s what I recommend doing to prepare for a successful Havasu Falls permit-grabbing day in 2024.

Before Opening Day:

• Set up your Havasu account ahead of time. See Section 4 “How to Apply Step-by-Step” above for more details.

• Figure out who you want to go with on your Havasu Falls Trip. Find a group of people to commit to going with you and helping you get permits. I’d say a group of 4-8 people is ideal. Each person who plans to go on this trip should also commit to be online to try to get permits with you on opening day. Create a communication strategy to keep in touch with each other during the process (text, group phone call, Facebook message.. etc) so that you don’t accidentally double book a reservation.

• Pick several date options for your trip to try and apply for in advance. Split up the different times amongst your group.

• Choose dates later in the season, around October and November to increase your chances of grabbing a permit. These dates tend to be less competitive.

On Permit Opening Day:

• Get online and logged in early. Login to your account and make sure everyone is ready to go for permit open time.

• At 8 AM, the page will automatically refresh and the "Make a 2024 Campground Reservation" button will activate which will allow you to proceed. All the info that you used to create your account will be auto-populated in the tool (you can review edit that info prior to purchase though)

• As soon as someone from your group is successful in grabbing their permits for Havasu Falls, then notify the rest of the group and proceed with purchase.

After you grab your permits:

• If you successfully grabbed a permit then congrats! You can start planning your trip. Check out our Havasu Falls Hike Guide to learn all about the hike!

8) What to do if you don’t grab a permit on Opening Day

1. Ask around. See if any of your friends got permits with extra spots available that you could join in on.

2. Watch for cancellations throughout the year: Permit transfers are now allowed only through the Havasupai reservation system, so you can check for cancellations/available permits throughout the year. You can check at 8 AM Arizona time everyday for new cancellations and transfers. Be flexible on your dates and ready to purchase if you see a reservation open up.

3. Get ready for June 1 booking at the Havasupai Lodge: Reservations for Havasupai Lodge typically open up on June 1st, however this is an even more competitive way to grab a spot because there are only 24 rooms in this hotel. Also, your reservations will be for the following year, April to December 2025.

4. Come better prepared for 2025: There’s always next year. Just keep trying, it’s so worth the wait!

I hope this post was helpful in understanding the Havasu Falls permit process. Get ready for the big day, and good luck!

For More Havasu Falls Resources, Check Out our Other Havasu Guides:

• The Ultimate Guide to the Havasu Falls Hike

• Essential Havasu Falls Packing List + Printable Packing Checklist

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If you are looking for more Arizona and hiking inspiration, check out our other resources below!

More Arizona Hikes and Desert Hiking Trail Guides:  

• Arizona: Best Hikes in Sedona Arizona

• Arizona: Hiking Humphreys Peak (Tallest Peak in Arizona)

• Utah Desert: Kanarra Falls Hike

• Utah Desert: Hiking Angels Landing

• New Mexico Desert: The Ultimate Guide to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico

• California Desert: The Ultimate Death Valley Weekend Getaway

Also be sure to check out these essential hiking resources!

• Essential Day Hiking Gear

• 10 Awesome Hiking Groups and Challenges to Encourage You on Your Hiking Adventures

Cheers,

Allison - She Dreams of Alpine

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