Getting There: From Las Vegas, take 93 south to the Hoover Dam, then continue on to Kingman. At Kingman, fill up your gas tank. Pick up I-40 East, and in a few miles get off at Exit 53, make a left, then head north on the famous Route 66. If you want, you can stop at the almost-as-famous Hackberry General Store (on your left...rather hard to miss). 6 miles past Peach Spring, make a left on Indian Route 18. Follow this road 60 plus miles to Hualapai Hilltop. Total travel time is three and a half to four hours. Many hikers sleep in the vehicles at Hualapai the night before to get an early start in the cool morning (warning - the bugs are vicious). We chose September, where the temperature in the canyon is bearable (in the low 90s), unlike in the summer when the temperature can surpass 115 degrees.

Cost: Since you are on Indian Nation land, you must have their permission to enter their land. This entails making an advance reservation. There's a 300 person limit in the campground, which is often reached. Call (928) 448-2120 2-3 months ahead of time. A 50% deposit is required 6 weeks ahead of time, the balance when you check in. They prefer Visa/Mastercard, but will take a money order (no personal checks). The campground fee in 2004 is $20 per person plus $10 per person per night. 3 nights would therefore be $52.50 per person (including 5% tribal sales tax). If you want to stay at the lodge, call the same number. Rates start at $75. Warning: the village is two miles from Havasu Falls!

When to go: March through October is the most popular time. Interest in Havasu Falls has increased rapidly every since Arizona Highways did a story on them (my friend Mike read the article and knew he wanted to go there!) and nature photographers, including Michael Fatali began publishing photos of the waterfalls. I recommend May or September, as June through August is very hot. May and September boast warm enough temperatures where the inviting pools cool you off and not freeze you. Avoid arriving on Saturday, as you may not find a campsite. The most popular days are Friday and Saturday, and the Havasupai limit the number of campers, not the number of parties.

The Supai village is small, but offers a couple of stores, a post office, restaurant, and motel. The motel offers double beds, private bath, and air conditioning, but forget about TV or telephones. And no, cell phones don't work! The restaurant is heavy on the beans and burritos while the store is expensive and has a limited selection. At the village, stop at the new (2002) tourist office, register, and pay your balance by credit card or cash. You'll be given a tag to affix to your backpack. The Havasupai officially do not allow alcohol on the reservation. However, that seems to be more for the protection of the tribe members. If you bring some wine or beer, are discreet about it, and consume it in the campground area, they don't seem to care.

Hiking time: it takes people three to five hours to descend, depending upon one's physical condition and pack weight. Going up will add another one or two hours. By horseback, it's probably half that.

The campground boasts fragrant pit toilets (bring TP and hand sanitizer, avoid at all costs the campsites immediately next to them) and treated spring water (from the spigot). I prefer the untreated water - according to an Elderhostel guide who's been here numerous times, they have only had one outbreak and that was because they didn't clean the pipe very well and something started growing inside. Rangers patrol the campground and they usually do a permit check in the early morning (around 7 AM). They may or may not wake you up if you're sleeping to do their count. Friendly dogs keep the wildlife at bay (at least we didn't see any nor have any problems). Hang your food from a tree, though, just in case. Nothing fancy - wildlife does not include bears! They love campers, particularly those who are heading out the next morning and want to lessen the pack weight.