The blue green icon of Havasu Canyon on sovereign Havasupai land: aquifer-fed water over travertine, reachable only with a tribal permit and an eight mile hike past Supai.
Year round
Big water window
see the season section
Spring fed
What drives it
Havasu Creek
Live USGS
Data on this page
gauge 09404115
Havasupai Tribe
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Havasu Falls, and when
Havasu Creek pours out of a hidden limestone aquifer, in the Havasupai Tribe's own words, which is why the blue green water and its travertine terraces hold their color and flow in every season. The people of the blue green water have lived here since time immemorial; the falls is on their sovereign land, outside Grand Canyon National Park, and visiting it is a privilege the tribe extends by permit, on their terms.
What the agency itself says
The Havasupai Tribe, the People of the Blue Green Water, have lived in and around the Grand Canyon since time immemorial. The Havasupai Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe. Their existence thrives on the life-sustaining blue-green waters from a hidden limestone aquifer, enabling cultivation and resilience in the harsh desert environment.
Havasupai Tribe (Havasupai Reservations)The exception that proves the driver rule: spring-fed Burney Falls, where the water arrives underground from aquifer storage and the falls barely notices the season. “Burney Falls (6489840799)” by Prayitno / Thank you for (9 millions +) views from Los Angeles, USA, CC BY 2.0
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Right now
What Havasu Creek is doing today
Flow at the gauge now
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USGS median for Oct 15
Not published
Gauge: USGS 09404115 Havasu Creek above the mouth near Supai AZ, downstream of the falls, near the Colorado River confluence. The gauge reads the river, not the brink of the falls, so treat it as the trend line rather than a turnstile.
Source: USGS Water Services (National Water Information System). Instantaneous values and daily statistics services. U.S. Geological Survey data are works of the United States Government and are in the public domain. Gauge verified 2026-08-27.
Multnomah Falls in autumn: a Columbia Gorge falls that keeps respectable flow year round, and the standard against which most falls seasons get measured. “Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Multnomah Falls, fall color - 3” — Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region — Public domain
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
A Havasupai tourism permit is required for entry, booked only through the tribe's reservation site; entering without a permit and wristband is trespassing, per the tribe. There is no road to Supai and no day hiking, per the National Park Service: the trip is an eight mile hike to the village, two more to the campground, on a multi-day reservation.
Havasu Falls and its travertine terraces, photographed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The color is aquifer chemistry, and it belongs to the Havasupai people, whose permit system is the only way in. “Havasu falls Arizona” — Stolz Gary M, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domain
Common questions
Havasu Falls flow season FAQ
Havasu Creek pours out of a hidden limestone aquifer, in the Havasupai Tribe's own words, which is why the blue green water and its travertine terraces hold their color and flow in every season. The people of the blue green water have lived here since time immemorial; the falls is on their sovereign land, outside Grand Canyon National Park, and visiting it is a privilege the tribe extends by permit, on their terms.
This page reads the USGS gauge on Havasu Creek (Havasu Creek above the mouth near Supai AZ, downstream of the falls, near the Colorado River confluence) live in your browser, and shows the latest flow next to the median USGS publishes for today's date, so you can see where today sits in the year. The gauge reads the river, not the brink, so treat it as the trend rather than a turnstile.
No; the aquifer does not take seasons off. The risks run the other way: flash floods have damaged the canyon repeatedly, in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024 per the Park Service, and summer heat can close the trail when temperatures pass 115 degrees.
Havasupai Tribe (Havasupai Reservations). A Havasupai tourism permit is required for entry, booked only through the tribe's reservation site; entering without a permit and wristband is trespassing, per the tribe. There is no road to Supai and no day hiking, per the National Park Service: the trip is an eight mile hike to the village, two more to the campground, on a multi-day reservation. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
In their own words: "A Fragile Environment - Subject to Flash Floods. Because of flood damage that took place during 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024, some areas in Havasu canyon are OFF-LIMITS to visitors due to continuing repair work or unstable ground condition. Immediate closure of the canyon is possible at any given time during your visit. Visitors to Havasu Canyon assume all risks while in the canyon and should come prepared." That sentence is Havasupai Tribe (Havasupai Reservations)'s, quoted verbatim, and their page is the place to check before you go.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
A travertine falls on a creek that got its river back: 30 million gallons a day of 70 degree spring water, restored when the century-old hydro diversion was retired.
Tucson's desert cascade: seven pools stacked in Bear Canyon, flowing after winter rains and monsoon bursts, dry-ish in between, and reached across numerous stream crossings.
Flow windows are typical-year climatology drawn from the driver and the agency language quoted above, not forecasts. Live readings and per-date percentiles are U.S. Geological Survey data, public domain; the above-or-below-typical line is our comparison and is labelled as such. Access, trail and safety information belongs to Havasupai Tribe (Havasupai Reservations). National picture: waterfall season across the US → Hero image: “Havasu falls Arizona” — Stolz Gary M, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Public domain
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