USA Guide
The Southwest
The Havasupai Reservation
The Havasupai Reservation really is another world. Things have changed a little since a 1930s anthropologist called it "the only spot in the United States where native culture has remained in anything like its pristine condition," but the sheer magic of its turquoise waterfalls and canyon scenery makes this a very special place.
Havasu Canyon is a side canyon of the Grand Canyon, 35 miles as the raven flies from Grand Canyon Village, but almost two hundred miles by road. Turn off the interstate at Seligman or Kingman, onto AZ-66 (which curves north between the two), stock up with food, water, and gas, and then follow Arrowhead Hwy-18 to Hualapai Hilltop. An eight-mile trail zigzags down a bluff from there, leading through the stunning waterless Hualapai Canyon to the village of SUPAI. Riding down on horseback with a Havasupai guide costs $70 one-way, $120 round-trip, and there's often a helicopter service as well ($85 one-way; 
623/516-2790). Hiking is free, but all visitors pay a $35 entry fee on arrival at Supai.
Beyond Supai the trail leads to a succession of spectacular waterfalls, including Havasu Falls, which is great for swimming, and Mooney Falls, named after an unfortunate prospector who dangled here for three days in the 1890s, at the end of a snagged rope, before falling to his death.
A campground ($17; 928/448-2141) stretches between Havasu and Mooney Falls, and Supai itself holds the motel-like Havasupai Lodge ( 928/448-2111; Price: $131-160), along with a café, a general store, and the only post office in the US still to receive its mail by pack train. Supai is frequently hit by freak floods, as in August 2008, which can result in the temporary closure of the campground and lodge.