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Grand Canyon West | Havasu Canyon
Known as “The People” of the Grand Canyon, the Pai Indians—the Hualapai and Havasupai—have lived along the Colorado River and the vast Colorado Plateau for more than 1,000 years. Both tribes traditionally moved seasonally between the plateau and the canyon, alternately hunting game and planting crops. Today, they rely on their tourism offerings outside the national park as an economic base.
Grand Canyon West
186 miles northwest of Williams, 70 miles north of Kingman.
The plateau-dwelling Hualapai (“people of the tall pines”) acquired a larger chunk of traditional Pai lands with the creation of their reservation in 1883. Hualapai tribal lands include diverse habitats ranging from rolling grasslands to rugged canyons, and travel from elevations of 1,500 feet at the Colorado River to more than 7,300 feet at Aubrey Cliffs. In recent years, the Hualapai have been attempting to foster tourism on the West Rim—most notably with the spectacular Skywalk, a glass walkway suspended 70 feet over the edge of the canyon rim. Not hampered by the regulations in place at Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon West offers helicopter flights down into the bottom of the canyon, horseback rides to rim viewpoints, and boat trips on the Colorado River.
The Hualapai Reservation encompasses a million acres in the Grand Canyon, along 108 miles of the Colorado River. Peach Springs, a two-hour drive from the West Rim on historic Route 66, is the tribal capital and the launch site for raft trips on this stretch of the river. Lodging is available both on the rim, at Hualapai Ranch, and in Peach Springs, at the Hualapai Lodge. Although increasingly popular, the West Rim is still relatively remote and visited by far fewer people than the South Rim—keep in mind that it’s more than 120 miles away from the nearest interstate highways.
Getting Here and Around
The West Rim is a five-hour drive from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park or a 2½-hour drive from Las Vegas. From Kingman, drive north 30 miles on U.S. 93, and then turn right onto Pierce Ferry Road and follow it for 28 miles. (A more scenic alternative is to drive 42 miles north on Stockton Hill Road, turning right onto Pierce Ferry Road for 7 miles, but this takes a bit longer because Stockton Hill Road has a lower speed limit than the wide, divided U.S. 93 highway.) Turn right (east) on to Diamond Bar Road and follow for 21 miles to Grand Canyon West entrance.
Visitors aren’t allowed to travel in their own vehicles to the viewpoints once they reach the West Rim, and must purchase a tour package—which can range from day use to horseback or helicopter rides to lodging and meals—from Hualapai Tourism.
Tours
In addition to the exploring options provided by the Hualapai tribe, more than 30 tour and transportation companies service Grand Canyon West from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona by airplane, helicopter, coach, SUV, and Hummer. Perhaps the easiest way to visit the West Rim from Vegas is with a tour.
Bighorn Wild West Tours.
This full-day tour takes you to Grand Canyon West in the comfort of a hummer. Admission fees and lunch are included, as is a stop for photos at Hoover Dam. | 702/385–4676 | www.bighorntours.com | From $249.
Visitor Information
Contacts
Grand Canyon West. | 888/868–9378, 928/769–2636 | www.hualapaitourism.com.
Exploring
Hualapai Tourism.
At the Welcome Center, Hualapai Tourism, run by the Hualapai tribe, offers the basic Hualapai Legacy tour package ($44 per person, including taxes and fees), which includes a Hualapai visitation permit and hop-on, hop-off shuttle transportation to three sites. The shuttle will take you to Eagle Point, where the Indian Village walking tour visits authentic dwellings. Educational displays there uncover the culture of five different Native American tribes (Havasupai, Plains, Hopi, Hualapai, and Navajo), and intertribal, powwow-style dance performances entertain visitors at the nearby amphitheater. The shuttle also goes to Hualapai Ranch, site of Western performances, cookouts, horseback and wagon rides, and the only lodging on the West Rim; and Guano Point, where the “High Point Hike” offers panoramic views of the Colorado River. At all three areas, local Hualapai guides and roaming “ambassadors” add a Native American perspective that you won’t find on North and South Rim tours.
For extra fees, you can add meals (there are cafés at each of the three stops), overnight lodging at Hualapai Ranch, a helicopter trip into the canyon, a pontoon boat trip on the Colorado, a horseback ride along the canyon rim, or a walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk. | Grand Canyon West | 928/769–2636, 888/868–9378 | www.hualapaitourism.com | $44 | Daily.
Grand Canyon Skywalk.
This cantilevered glass terrace is suspended nearly 4,000 feet above the Colorado River and extends 70 feet from the edge of the Grand Canyon. Approximately 10 feet wide, the bridge’s deck, made of tempered glass several inches thick, has 5-foot glass railings on each side creating an unobstructed open-air platform. Admission to the skywalk is a separate add-on to the basic Grand Canyon West admission. Visitors must store personal items, including cameras, cell phones, and video cameras, in lockers before entering. A professional photographer takes photographs of visitors, which can be purchased from the gift shop. | www.hualapaitourism.com | $32.
Sports and the Outdoors
Adventure Tours
Hualapai River Runners.
One-day combination river trips are offered by the Hualapai Tribe through the Hualapai River Runners from mid-March through October. The trips leave from Peach Springs (a 2-hour drive from the West Rim) and include rafting, a hike, a helicopter ride up to the West Rim, and transport. Lunch, snacks, and beverages are provided. Children must be eight or older to take the trip, which runs several rapids with the most difficult rated as Class VII, depending on the river flow. | 5001 Buck N Doe Rd. | Peach Springs | 928/769–2636, 888/868–9378 | www.hualapaitourism.com | From $387.
Havasu Canyon
141 miles northwest from Williams to the head of Hualapai Hilltop.
With the establishment of Grand Canyon National Park in 1919, the Havasupai (“people of the blue green water”) were confined to their summer village of Supai and the surrounding 518 acres in the 5-mile-wide and 12-mile-long Havasu Canyon. In 1975, the reservation was substantially enlarged, but is still completely surrounded by national park lands on all but its southern border. Each year, about 25,000 tourists fly, hike, or ride into Havasu Canyon to visit the Havasupai. Despite their economic reliance on tourism, the Havasupai take their guardianship of the Grand Canyon seriously, and severely limit visitation in order to protect the fragile canyon habitats. Dubbed the “Shangri-la of the Grand Canyon,” the waterfalls have drawn visitors to this remote Native American reservation.
Major flooding in 2008 altered Havasu Canyon’s famous landscape and it was closed to visitors for almost 10 months. Supai reopened in June 2009, but water and mud damage have changed some of the beautiful waterfalls, their streams and pools, and the amount of blue-green travertine. TIP Be sure to call the Havasupai Tourist Enterprise (928/448–2121) to make reservations before visiting.
Getting Here and Around
Hualapai Hilltop is reached via Indian Route 18, which you follow about 65 miles north from historic Route 66 (34 miles west of Seligman and 50 miles east of Kingman). The total driving distance from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 200 miles and takes about four hours.
The Havasupai restrict the number of visitors to the canyon; you must call ahead and make reservations. The 8-mile Hualapai Trail begins at Hualapai Hilltop. You can park your car here (the parking lot is patrolled), but there is no gas, lodging, or water available. From an elevation of 5,200 feet, the trail travels down a moderate grade to Supai village at 3,200 feet. Bring plenty of water and avoid hiking during the middle of the day, when canyon temperatures can reach into the 100s. You’ll need to spend the night if you’re hiking, as no day hiking is permitted; there’s a campground 2 miles farther in ($17 per person) or the Havasupai Lodge in the village.
Another option is a helicopter ride into the canyon with Air West Helicopters. Flights leave from Hualapai Hilltop four days a week during summer and two days a week during winter, and cost $85 per person each way. Reservations aren’t accepted and visitors are transported on a first-come, first-served basis. Tribal members are boarded prior to tourists, but all are assured of a ride down, as long as you arrive at the Hilltop by 1 pm. All visitors, whether camping or staying at the lodge, must pay a $40 entrance fee.
Essentials
Transportation Contacts
Air West Helicopters. | 623/516–2790.
Visitor Information
Havasupai Tourist Enterprise. | 928/448–2121 | www.havasupai.com.
Exploring
Havasu Canyon.
South of the middle part of Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim and away from the crowds, Havasu Canyon is the home of the Havasupai, a tribe that has lived in this isolated area for centuries. You’ll discover why they are known as the “people of the blue-green waters” when you see the canyon’s waterfalls. Accumulated travertine formations in some of the most popular pools were washed out in massive flooding decades ago and again in 2008 and 2010, but it’s still a magical place.
The village of Supai, which currently has about 600 tribal residents, is accessed by the 8-mile-long Hualapai Trail, which drops 2,000 feet from the canyon rim to the tiny town.
To reach Havasu’s waterfalls, you must hike downstream from the village of Supai. Both Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls are still flowing and as beautiful as ever, but the flooding in 2008 washed out well-known Navajo Falls completely. Pack adequate food and supplies. There is a café and a trading post in the village, but prices for food and sundries are more than double what they would be outside the reservation. The tribe does not allow alcohol, drugs, pets, or weapons. Reservations are necessary for camping or staying at the Havasupai Lodge. | Havasupai Tourist Enterprise | Supai | 928/448–2121 for camping and general info, 928/448–2201 for lodging reservations | www.havasupai.com | $40.