In 1882, President Chester Arthur established the Havasupai Indian Reservation by Executive Order, and restricted the tribe to 518 acres in Havasu Canyon.

By agreement with the federal government, the reservation and the trails which led down to it remained sovereign to the Havasupai tribe.

In the 1950s a superintendent of the Grand Canyon, John McLaughlin, proposed to take over the reservation, but he was rebuffed by the tribe.

[6] Finally, in 1975, the U.S. Congress passed the Grand Canyon National Park Enlargement Act, which was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on January 4, 1975.

Among other things, the Act returned 188,077 acres (76,112 ha) of plateau and canyon lands to the Havasupai, which is what forms the reservation today.

In it the governing body was defined as a seven-member tribal council, which handles most policy matters.

[10] The nearest community to the reservation is Peach Springs, Arizona, which lies approximately 64 miles to the southwest.

[5] Supai has been referred to as "the most remote community" in the contiguous United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The main attraction is Havasu Creek, with aquamarine water (due to the presence of travertine), the stream is one of the longest tributaries on the south side of the Colorado River, and falls 1,400 feet (430 m) over its course.

[15] Non-human denizens of the reservation include canyon tree frogs, cottontail rabbits, rattlesnakes, desert kingsnakes, and California condors.

Individual members of the tribe also have small businesses, leading tour groups and packing supplies in and out of the canyon.

In 2008, a dam burst upstream, causing a torrent to sweep through the canyon, resulting in significant damage to the natural resources as well as man-made structures.

The tribe received a one million dollar grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to assist in the economic recovery of the reservation.