Supai ( yuf-x-hav, Havasuuw) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in

Coconino County Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States, within the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 208. The capital of the

Havasupai Indian Reservation The Havasupai Indian Reservation is a Native American reservation for the Havasupai people, surrounded entirely by the Grand Canyon National Park, in Coconino County in Arizona, United States. It is considered one of America's most remote Indian ...

, Supai is the only place in the United States where mail is still carried in and out by mules. Supai has been referred to as "the most remote community" in the

contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is accessible only by helicopter, on foot or by mule. Supai is from the nearest road and has no automobiles in the community.

Recent history

Tourists and some residents were evacuated from Supai and surrounding area on August 17 and 18, 2008, due to flooding of

Havasu Creek Havasu Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Arizona associated with the Havasupai people. It is a tributary to the Colorado River, which it enters in the Grand Canyon. Stream course and features Havasu Creek is the second largest tributary ...

complicated by the failure of the earthen Redlands Dam (subsequent to the main flooding event) after a night of heavy rainfall. Evacuees were taken to Peach Springs, Arizona. More heavy rains were expected and a flash flood warning was put into effect, necessitating the evacuation, according to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

. The floods were significant enough to attract coverage from international media. Damage to the trails, bridges, and campground was severe enough for Havasupai to close visitor access to the village, campground, and falls until the spring of 2009. Further flooding in 2010 resulted in damage to repairs made previously and closures effective until May 2011. In July 2018, flash flooding forced the helicopter evacuation of 200 visitors. All tourism was suspended from March 2020 until February 2022 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Geography and climate

Located within the

, Supai is only accessible by foot, pack animal or helicopter. It is the only place in the United States where mules still carry the mail, most of which is food. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land. It lies above sea level.

Climate

Supai has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

, with very hot summers coupled with mild nights, and relatively mild winters with nights cooling off to below freezing on many days.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 208 people and 43 households. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.6% Native American, 0.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.5% Other, and 2.4% of

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population. There were 43 households, out of which 34.9% were married families living together, 32.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 14.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 18.6% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.84. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 16, 10.4% from 16 to 21, 54.8% from 21 to 65, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25.2 years. 48.6% of the population was male; 51.4% was female.

Education

There is one K–6 school in Supai, Havasupai Elementary School, run by the

Bureau of Indian Education The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), headquartered in the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C., and formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP), is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant ...

. it only offers mathematics and English classes. As of 2017, around 20% of the school's students graduate from high school. According to Coconino County's parcel viewer, Supai is in the "Unorganized School District #00". According to Arizona law, an unorganized school district is one that does not have a high school.

Access

Supai can be reached by hiking , descending in elevation from Hualapai Hilltop through the Hualapai Canyon. Alternatively, the AirWest Helicopters service schedules flights from Hualapai Hilltop to Supai. Hualapai Hilltop is located about from the community of Peach Springs, along paved BIA Road 18.

Services

Supai has one small, air-conditioned lodge (Havasupai Lodge), a convenience store and a cafe. File:HavasupaiLodge.jpg, Guest rooms at Havasupai Lodge File:SupaiMarket.jpg, Mule train in front of the convenience store File:SupaiVillageWaterTanks.jpg, Water tanks above the village, supplying water pressure for plumbing File:Supai AZ postmark.jpg, Supai AZ postmark, unique for its "mule train" design

References

External links

Official Havasupai Tribe site
{{Authority control Havasupai Census-designated places in Coconino County, Arizona Road-inaccessible communities of Arizona