Overview
The trail was a Havasupai route to a spring before it was a toll path and then a park trail, and it has water and shade at intervals that most canyon trails do not — which is why it is the recommended first descent. The park’s standing advice is that a day hike should turn around at Three-Mile Resthouse or Havasupai Gardens; rim-to-river-to-rim in a day is specifically warned against, and rescues run into the hundreds each year. Temperatures at the bottom run well above those at the rim.
Highlights
Take twice the water you think you need and start at first light in summer. Havasupai Gardens at 7.4 kilometres is a realistic full-day turnaround for a fit walker. Mules use this trail and have right of way: stand on the inside and wait.