Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Princess of Éboli, was imprisoned for six months in the tower.
Torreón de Pinto (Tower of Pinto)
Rococo staircase to the musicians’s gallery.
Biscari Palace
Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.
Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple
The Salt Canyon.
Salt Canyon
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Arizona Supai Havasupai Falls
AO Edited

Havasupai Falls

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.

Supai, Arizona

Added By
Lew Blank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Jon Roig/CC BY 2.0
Havasu Falls from the front   Jon Roig/CC BY 2.0
Havasu Falls   Jon Roig/CC BY 2.0
Havasu Falls from ground level   Reannon Muth/CC BY 2.0
  Navin75/CC BY-SA 2.0
Mooney Falls   Peretz Partensky / CC BY-SA 2.0
Ancient civilization along the hike to Havasu Falls   Sean Hagen / CC BY-SA 2.0
Havasu Falls At Night   stevenholden / Atlas Obscura User
Young boy plunging into Havasu Falls   Gregg Cannonball/CC BY 2.0
  Jon Roig/CC BY 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Grand Canyon draws in over five million tourists each year and is hailed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. But hidden deep within a side canyon, on the reservation of the local Havasupai tribe, completely surrounded by Grand Canyon National Park and so not really in a National Park, lies something lesser-known to tourists yet unparalleled in beauty: Havasupai Falls.

The Havasupai people, which literally translates to “people of the blue-green water,” are native to a region of northern Arizona that’s home to Havasupai Falls, a group of aquamarine waterfalls tucked within the Havasu Canyon. The most famous is Havasu Falls, a stunning cascade that almost looks like it flows with liquid turquoise. Yet despite the inescapable crowds of the Grand Canyon, these beautiful falls are relatively secluded, a long-guarded secret of the Havasupai tribe and a small handful of outsiders.

This secrecy is largely a result of the tribe’s understandable reluctance to fully open the gates of their homeland to tourists. Of the tribal nations affiliated with the Grand Canyon area, the Havasupai are the only ones who continue to live deep within the canyon. The Havasupai consider themselves the keepers and guardians of the Grand Canyon.

They’ve set up a system of camping permits that only lets a small portion of applicants into the village of Supai, where the falls are located. Even if you’re lucky enough to get the permit, you have to be able to shell out for the helicopter ride, horse ride, or mule ride to assist you in getting there. Otherwise, you’ll have to hike 10 miles there and 10 miles back. It’s a hot, dry, strenuous although beautiful hike, passing red rocks, cacti, and ancient pictograms along the way.

Once there, the views from the 100-foot Havasu Falls are priceless. It’s also a daredevil’s dream; visitors have the opportunity to attempt high cliff jumps and swim to a rocky shelter behind the falls, both of which are extremely risky. And as if one aquamarine waterfall wasn’t enough, there are four more in the area. Near Havasu Falls lie Mooney, Navajo, Supai, and Beaver Falls, each beautiful and awe-inspiring in its own way.

The reason for the picturesque turquoise color is the high levels of calcium carbonate in the spring-fed waters of Havasu Creek, the source of the five waterfalls. These high levels also create 70-degree travertine pools at the base of some of the falls, making them the perfect swimming holes.

Related Tags

Waterfalls Blue Native Americans Water Indigenous

Know Before You Go

You can either hike or take a mule, horse, or helicopter ride down into the canyon. (The helicopter launch pad is next to the last working Pony Express stop in America.) To visit the falls you must first obtain a permit and reservation to stay at the Havasupai Campground overnight, as day trips to the falls are not permitted. Reservations can be made at the official Havasupai Tribe website.

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

Gr8estideaever, Osage, michellecassidy1, stevenholden

  • Gr8estideaever
  • Osage
  • michellecassidy1
  • stevenholden

Published

July 26, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.grandcanyon.net/havasupai
  • http://www.hydrosadventures.com/grand-canyon-hiking/havasu-falls
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havasu_Falls
  • https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=distance%20from%20supai%20to%20grand%20canyon%20village
  • https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/info/havasupai
Havasupai Falls
Havasu Creek
Supai, Arizona
United States
36.25513, -112.697864
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pumpkin Spring Pool

Littlefield, Arizona

miles away

Powell Memorial

Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

miles away

Squirrels of the Kaibab Plateau

Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Arizona

Arizona

United States

Places 284
Stories 24

Nearby Places

Pumpkin Spring Pool

Littlefield, Arizona

miles away

Powell Memorial

Grand Canyon Village, Arizona

miles away

Squirrels of the Kaibab Plateau

Arizona

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Arizona

Arizona

United States

Places 284
Stories 24

Related Stories and Lists

Take a Soak, and Soak It In: The Best Natural Spas and Springs

List

Sponsored by GMC Terrain

20 Superb, Secluded, Sometimes Secret Swimming Holes

List

By Jonathan Carey

The Ultimate Guide to America's National Parks

List

By Atlas Obscura

The World's Top 100 Wonders in 2018

List

By Atlas Obscura

20 Hidden Spots Inside America’s National Parks and Forests

abandoned

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Related Places

  • Sahalie Falls

    McKenzie Bridge, Oregon

    Sahalie Falls

    Rushing water plunges over a 100-foot drop created by an ancient lava flow at this majestic waterfall.

  • Devil’s Lake

    Baraboo, Wisconsin

    Devil's Lake

    A remnant of the last Ice Age, this lake is surrounded by fascinating rock formations.

  • Keyhole Sink.

    Williams, Arizona

    Keyhole Sink

    A small canyon with petroglyphs and a seasonal waterfall, only a short hike from the remnants of old Route 66.

  • Lonely tree reflected in turquoise blue water.

    Lijiang, China

    Blue Moon Valley

    A bright turquoise river cascades beautifully down stepped terraces in southern China.

  • The Chief Little Owl statue is one of more than 70 works that were made as part of the Trail of Whispering Giants project.

    Bethany Beach, Delaware

    Chief Little Owl

    This monumental sculpture that welcomes visitors to Bethany Beach is a tribute to a regional Nanticoke Indian Tribe leader.

  • The giant kachina.

    Cave Creek, Arizona

    World's Largest Kachina Doll

    This 39-foot-tall version of a Hopi figure stands in Arizona.

  • The Lacrosse Players, by Elmer P. Petersen, was dedicated in 1981.

    La Crosse, Wisconsin

    'The Lacrosse Players'

    This downtown statue pays tribute to the Native American game that gave the city of La Crosse its name.

  • Tumalo Falls.

    Bend, Oregon

    Tumalo Falls

    An attractive free-plunge waterfall outside Bend in the Deschutes National Forest.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.