Family Spring Break Tour
Highlights
- All-inclusive tour
- Turquoise water and plunging falls
- Travel with other families
- Discounted family rate
- Swimming in idyllic pools
- Descent below Mooney Falls
- Amazing natural and cultural history
- Fantastic cuisine, camps and guides
Description
It's hard to ask for a better spring break vacation for your family than to the Havasupai Waterfalls in the Grand Canyon. This once-in-a-lifetime backpacking trip has something for everyone and allows for bonding, free time, adventure and relaxation all in one trip! We take care of everything so your family can relax and focus on enjoying the hallmarks of Havasu Falls: stunningly beautiful turquoise water, plunging waterfalls (50-200 feet tall), idyllic swimming holes, desert wildlife, lush vegetation, comfortable camping, fascinating cultural history, and scenic Grand Canyon hiking.
For our spring break trips, we've created a perfect way for families (with dependents ages 12-22) to enjoy the trip along with other families. We provide roundtrip transportation from Flagstaff, nearly all your gear, wonderful meals, camping reservations (tribal fees are added separately), and professional family-friendly guides.
Travel from Phoenix to Flagstaff
Private Trips
See Trip Dates
Trip Dates & Booking
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be offering Havasu Falls tours in 2019.We're sorry for any disappointment this causes. However, not all is lost! We heartily recommend checking out some of our other award-winning Southwest Adventures! Arizona, Utah and California offer some of the best hiking vacations in the world, and there are no better guides than our team here at Wildland Trekking!
- Shuttle to Hualapai Hilltop: 3.5-hour drive from Flagstaff
- Hiking Mileage: 10 miles
- Elevation Loss: 2,400 feet
This family spring break special Havasupai Waterfalls Tour begins with hotel pickup in Flagstaff. We shuttle along historic Route 66 to our trailhead, where we will do a final fitting with our backpacks. We begin our hike downhill through a series of switchbacks before leveling off in a beautiful red sandstone canyon. After 4.5 miles of hiking this canyon intersects with Cataract Canyon and Havasu Creek, whose enchanting turqouise waters are some of the most inviting in the world.
We follow this creek for 2 miles to the village of Supai, where the Havasupai people have been living for approximately 800 years. The only way in and out of the village is via foot, horseback or helicopter as there are no roads here. We'll leave Supai and continue another 2 miles to the campground. En route to the campground we pass three of the five major waterfalls: Rock Falls, Fifty Foot Falls, and Havasu Falls. The rest of the afternoon is available for photographing, swimming and enjoying Havasu Falls.
After a hearty dinner we'll enjoy a moon-lit walk down to the top of 200-foot-tall Mooney Falls. The view looking down onto the falls is one of the most impressive anywhere.
- Hiking Mileage: 7 miles (optional day hiking)
- Elevation Change: 500 feet
We'll spend day 2 exploring the stunning waterfalls that make Havasu a world-renown Grand Canyon destination. We'll hike/climb to the base of Mooney Falls, then continue hiking downstream another 2.5 miles to Beaver Falls, where the canyon becomes increasingly dramatic with small waterfalls cascading under ash and cottonwood trees. Big horn sheep are often an added bonus, as this area provides them with rare, valuable grazing habitat. Beaver Falls makes for a fantastic lunch spot before we hike back to camp.
- Hiking Mileage: 5+ miles (optional day hiking)
- Elevation Change: 300 feet
After sleeping in and enjoying a great breakfast we'll have the rest of the day to hike and explore Rock Falls and Fifty Foot Falls, which are less-visited but equally as stunning as Havasu and Mooney Falls, and make for unforgettable swimming and photography. We'll be back in camp mid afternoon to relax and prepare for the next day's hike out.
- Hiking Mileage: 10 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2,400 feet
- Shuttle to Flagstaff: 3.5-hour drive from Hualapai Hilltop
After breaking camp and hiking back through the Supai Village, Cataract Canyon and up to Hualapai Hilltop, we'll enjoy lunch and cold drinks. Our drive back to Flagstaff is a time for reflection and will likely pass in a stream of memories as you relax and enjoy the natural scenery of Northern Arizona before arriving at our starting point in Flagstaff.
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes.
Trip Details
- Top-of-the-line tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and multi-day backpack
- Camping in a comfortable basecamp near Havasu Creek
- Use of trekking poles
- All meals are included from breakfast the first day through lunch on the last day
- Professional, certified Wildland Grand Canyon hiking guides
- Havasupai camping reservations
- Roundtrip transportation from Flagstaff to the trailhead and back
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and satellite phone
- You will receive a Lifetime Hiking Membership entitling you, your spouse and kids to a lifetime discount of 10% off any Wildland Trekking hiking trip after your first one!
- Havasupai tribal fees (mandatory per-person entrance, environmental, and camping fees) are added separately and collected at time of registration (more info above)
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (Oboz hiking shoes and boots recommended)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- A lightweight stuff sack for your belongings
- Water bottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-20% of trip cost)
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs, Kelty or Big Agnes tents
- Sierra Designs, Kelty, Big Agnes and Mountain Hardware sleeping bags
- Thermarest or Big Agnes sleeping pads
- Leki or Black Diamond trekking poles
- Cooking stoves and cookware
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Satellite phone
We ask that you supply a couple of gear items on your hiking tour. These items are three 1-liter water bottles per person, a lightweight stuff sack for your clothing and personal items (pack light!), and either a headlamp or flashlight per person. Basic items like sunscreen, bug repellent (where and when applicable), lip balm, and toiletries are also important. All of these items are available online at Wildland Trekking Outfitters.
Please refer to the trip packet for a recommended clothing list (we email you a detailed trip packet when you inquire and when you register). All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots (reliable brands include Montrail, Lowa, Merrell, Vasque, and Salomon), rain gear, and non-cotton and cotton clothing layers. A minimum of three pairs of wool or synthetic hiking socks are also required. All of these items are available online at Wildland Trekking Outfitters.
NOTE: See the Packing Lists page for more detailed information on what clothes and gear to bring on your hiking tour. The trip packet you receive when you contact us will have the most accurate clothing and gear list for the tour you're interested in.
Trip Logistics
Ready to hike? In the Dates section of this trip page, the green dates are bookable online by simply clicking on the date, and blue dates must be booked through our customer service team for a variety of possible reasons. To email our customer service team, you can click here to get the ball rolling. Our adventure consultants will confirm availability, and if you're ready to register we'll email you a link to a registration profile. You'll have 72 hours to complete your profile (and that of any dependents) and pay the deposit ($500).
Feel free to call us for more info - we're here 7 days a week!
Unless we tell you otherwise, you will meet your guide and group at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff (use this reservation page for a 10-60% discount at Little America) for an orientation meeting at 5:00 PM the evening before the trip begins. We're happy to give you a ride to this meeting if you're not staying at Little America, but staying at one of our other recommended hotels. Your guide will then pick you up at your hotel the next morning for transport to the trailhead. For Private Grand Canyon Tours your guide will meet you at your hotel in Flagstaff at an agreed upon time.
Check out our Travel Resources page for information on flights, shuttles, lodging and more.
Your guide will inform you of the first day's pick-up time at the orientation meeting. Generally, you can expect it to be between 4 and 7 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT's, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. We've developed comprehensive risk management protocols that our guides adhere to in case of an emergency, and most tours carry a satellite phone. If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Your tour will be led by a trained, experienced professional with a solid guiding background, years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. Check out our Meet Our Team page for staff bios.
Guides are required to take 8 hours off each 24-hour period to sleep, recuperate, take personal/down time...etc. In addition, as part of the 8 hours off they must sleep/rest or be in their tents/rooms uninterrupted for a minimum of 5 hours each night. We ask guests to respect these requirements and to not interrupt guides' off time and sleep time unless there is a true emergency.
The average group size for this Havasu Falls Tour is 12 guests and 2 guides. If you have more questions about group size, please give us a call at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) and we'll answer all your questions.
Age restrictions are as follows:
- 12 and older to join scheduled tours (mixed groups)
- 10 and older to join private tours
The weather in the Grand Canyon varies tremendously from the rim to the canyon floor, with as much as a 30 degree Fahrenheit difference. For this reason, the Canyon is truly a year-round hiking destination. To be fully prepared, please follow the recommended clothing list closely (this list comes as part of your trip packet when you register). Read below for average high and low temperatures at the South Rim and the Canyon bottom:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) | ||||||
Month |
South Rim
|
Canyon Bottom
|
||||
hi |
low |
hi |
low |
|||
Dec-Feb |
41° |
18° |
60° |
38° |
||
March |
51° |
25° |
71° |
48° |
||
April |
60° |
32° |
82° |
56° |
||
May |
70° |
39° |
92° |
63° |
||
Jun-Aug |
82° |
53° |
108° |
75° |
||
September |
76° |
47° |
97° |
69° |
||
October |
65° |
36° |
84° |
58° |
||
November |
52° |
27° |
68° |
46° |
||
Camping on Backpacking Trips
Backcountry Sleeping
Tent Camping
Sleeping on backpacking trips is in premier 1-person, 2-person or 4-person backcountry tents. Solo travelers, and anyone else who requests it, are issued single tents. Top-of-the-line self-inflating sleeping pads and sleeping bags (professionally laundered after every trip) are also provided.
Backcountry Cuisine
Fresh & Delicious
Meals from breakfast Day 1 through lunch the last day are fully included and prepared by your guide. We never use dehydrated backpacking meals, instead serving freshly prepared, delicious backcountry cuisine made with a variety of common and specialty ingredients that travel well in the wilderness.
Amazing Campsites
In the Action
Of course campsites vary tremendously by destination, trip and even by the individual day of a trip. However, you can expect to camp in beautiful areas that put you right in the action to make the most of your backpacking adventure. We carefully design our itineraries with campsites in mind.
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Similar Trips
More Havasupai Info
- VISITING HAVASUPAI: Get info on what's required, when to visit, whether to go on your own or on a guided tour and more.
- 5 HAVASUPAI WATERFALLS: See photos and descriptions of all 5 of the Havasupai Waterfalls.
- HAVASUPAI RESERVATIONS: Information about how to obtain Havasupai camping permits, required fees, lodge reservations and more.
- HIKING TO HAVASUPAI: Driving instructions, hiking instructions, information about the helicopter, packing lists and more.
