05 Mar 2020 3 min read hiking

Havasupai – The night before the hike

To prepare for the 10-mile hike in through the canyons of the Havasupai trail, a good night of sleep is a must-have for the day before the hike. Check out these hints.

To prepare for the 10-mile hike in through the canyons of the Havasupai trail, a good night of sleep is a must-have for the day before the hike.

The night before the hike to Havasupai, my hiking group stayed at the Hualapai Lodge, in Peach Springs, AZ. This is a decent and comfortable small hotel located on the Historic US Route 66 and at a convenient 8o-minute drive to the Havasupai trailhead. The lodge has a small cafe that serves very decent meals, including breakfast for those leaving for the trail in the early morning.

Hualapai Lodge, located on Historic Route 66.

The lodge also has a few lockers for rent, so you can leave your valuable goods safely locked away there instead of leaving them in your car’s trunk and parked at the trailhead for 3 nights. Then on the way back from Havasupai, you just have to do a quick stop to collect back your stuff and return the keys at the reception (and maybe have a recharging meal by the restaurant after the long hike back up the canyon).

Some hints here: have the hotel reservation for the night before your hike made right after you get your hike permits for the Havasupai campground/lodge, since room availability is limited in this hotel. Also, try to reserve a room on the front-side of the hotel (facing the highway). The other side of the hotel is adjacent to the railroad tracks with many trains passing by every night. Leave the hotel very early in the morning for the trail-head, you don’t want to be hiking down the canyon under the scorching afternoon sun. More on the hike in the next articles of the series.

Points of Interest On The Way to the Hotel

If you are traveling from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam and the Colorado River overlook at Willow Beach Scenic View are nice stops if you have the time.

When you enter Historic Route 66, a side-road attraction is Hackberry General Store, a cool old general store with Route 66 souvenirs and memorabilia.