How To Score A Permit to Havasupai

Havasupai, Supai, Havasu Falls: mention any of these words to an adventurer and they will do one of two things, light up with joy or curse social media. 

Twice per year, tens of thousands of people from all around the world anxiously await their chance at obtaining a permit from the Havasupai Native American tribe to visit their iconic blue-green waterfalls just outside of Grand Canyon National Park on the Havasupai Reservation in Supai, Arizona. Since the tribe limits the amount of visitors allowed on-site each day, permits are a hot commodity in the backpacking (and now Instagram) community. If you are reading this, chances are, you probably know all of that already. Luckily, I have been through the process and (successfully!) scored campground permits via their new (as of 2018) online system... and I have some tips I am willing to share that will hopefully help you score too!

Havasupai's iconic Havasu Falls, one of several located
on the Havasupai reservation in Arizona.

1.  Plan Ahead. Obtaining lodge reservations and camping reservations are two completely different systems (if you're interested in booking the lodge, see my other post specifically about lodge reservations). Have an idea of what you want out of your trip and start researching accordingly. Visit the Havasupai Tribe Website for the latest information, talk to the people you plan on going with, and have an idea of how many people you are booking for, the dates, and the total cost of your reservation. Payment is due in full at the time of the booking!

The Havasupai campground reservation website as seen on mobile.
Note that you can sign up for updates.

Campground permits go live on February 1st at 8am Arizona time via the Havasupai Reservations Website or by phone and are able to be purchased only for the calendar year in which they go on sale. (UPDATE: as of August 2018, there have been rumors that this date may change for 2019... read more here!) The campground is open from February through November. There is no limit on the amount of people under one permit and all permit fees are due at the time of booking. Additionally, one person must be named the "primary permit holder" and you are allowed an additional "secondary permit holder" in the case that the primary permit holder is not able to be present at the time of check-in. Neither of these names has to be the same as the person who books or pays. If both the primary and the secondary permit holders are not present at check-in, the entire reservation is forfeited, including the remainder of the permits paid for and the fees associated with them.

2.  Be Flexible! The more flexible you are on your dates, the better chance you will have at booking. This gets more difficult the larger of a group that you have and holiday weekends are generally the most popular, therefore the hardest to come by. In any case, you should always have a 1st choice date, 2nd choice date, and a last-ditch-effort date (hint: February is always the last month to sell out).

  

Dates available as of this photo are shown in black while sold out dates are shown as blank.
This screen shot was taken late in the day on February 1, 2018

3.  Recruit Help. I can't stress this enough - the more internet/phone-savvy people you have helping you, the better chances you have at scoring a reservation! (But, please, for the love of all things holy, don't recruit someone who doesn't know what they're doing... that just jogs up the phone lines and website for everyone else!)

The reservation page after selecting dates.
I underlined the "time remaining" in red to highlight
the fact that the system will hold your reservation for
a set amount of time to allow you to complete the
check out process (8 minutes in 2018)

Additionally, the website gives you 8 minutes from the time you select your available dates until you check out and your payment is processed. If your desired dates aren't available, you will not be able to physically select them from the site.

If you are planning on calling, you may want to try and auto-dial app (if using a cell phone) but word on the street is that it's easier to get through via landline. Is there any truth to the landline myth? I have no idea but it's worth a shot!

Remember earlier when I said that booking gets more difficult the larger of a group that you have? There are several ways to increase your chances of securing a permit for a larger group and they all involve recruiting more people to help you! 

4.  Be Prepared. Set calendar reminders and alarms prior-to and the day that the site/phones go live. Have your payment information ready and make sure any people that you have recruited to help you are ready to go! Log onto the site exactly at 8am on the dot. Clear your cookies before the site goes live so that you don't get a cached version of the site when it's time to make your reservation.

5.  Don't give up! If you follow every single one of these tips, there is still a chance you won't score and that's okay! There are other ways of getting to Paradise! 

Guided permits are available through a few third-party companies and these companies will take care of all of your camping necessities for you (including tents, food, etc.), set it all up, and be there as knowledgeable guides. These companies have contracts with the tribe in order to do this because typically, upselling permits is strictly prohibited. If you come across an individual selling a permit for more than what they paid, do not buy it, as the tribe will void the permits and ban anyone involved in the sale. However, if someone says they have an open spot in their reservation and asks you to pay them exactly what they paid for the spot, that's generally overlooked as you would then be part of their reservation group. 

If you're not looking for a guided trip, you might want to try joining the Havasupai and Havasu Falls Facebook Group. This group is an awesome resource for anyone looking to hike Havasupai and, from time-to-time, people will have extra slots available in their reservation and advertise open spots on the page. 

If none of the above works for you- keep calling! My friend scored two permits on a random weekday in April just by calling and asking. It never hurts to call and ask!

So let's recap on how to score that sweet ticket to paradise:

1.  Plan Ahead

2.  Be Flexible

3.  Recruit Help

4.  Be Prepared

5.  Don't Give Up!

I hope this helps! And for those of you who have scored permits, what would you add that I may have missed? Leave your thoughts in the comments! 

As for those of you that ended up scoring, time to start training for the hike in!

-Shannon