If Recreation.gov shows no Aravaipa permits for your dates, you still have four options:
- Choose different dates. Midweek is easier. Spring and fall weekends can fill quickly.
- Choose the other entrance. West and East permits are counted separately. Check the East road first (see below).
- Check Recreation.gov obsessively. Someone may cancel, and then you can pick up their permits.
- Check with us. If you’re open to a guided trip, we may have permits.
Don’t go without a permit.
The numbers
Checked October 2026 against Recreation.gov.
- Daily limit: 50 people (30 from the West Trailhead, 20 from the East).
- Release: 13 weeks (91 days) before the entry date, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. No lottery. It’s first come, first served.
- Refunds: cancel 5 or more days before the permit date and you get a full refund, minus the $6 reservation fee. After that, no refund.
- Cost: $5 per person per day, plus $6 per reservation.
For the full rules, see how Aravaipa permits work.
When do cancelled Aravaipa permits come back?
Permit holders can cancel and get a refund until 5 days before the permit date. In our experience, cancelled permits get re-listed within 24 hours.
So if you’re hoping to score a last-minute permit, check often between 7 and 4 days before the date you want. For a Saturday trip, that means from the Saturday before through Tuesday.
Should you switch to the other entrance?
The west side fills faster. It’s much easier to reach and much closer to Phoenix and Tucson. So when West permits are gone, East permits may still be there.
Your permit is only valid for the trailhead listed on it, and the East Trailhead is much harder to reach. It’s roughly 46 miles of dirt road, with creek crossings and no bridges, and the road can become impassable during flooding. BLM says a high-clearance vehicle is necessary. In our experience, you need four-wheel drive as well.
Don’t book an East permit just because West permits are gone. Understand the drive first.
Can you still go with a guide when permits are sold out?
Possibly. We usually have a mix of weekend and weekday permits secured for the dates we expect to run trips. If we end up not running a trip, we cancel those permits so others can book them.
It depends on when you reach out:
- Before the 13-week window opens for your dates: we can take care of securing the permits.
- After permits are gone: if we don’t have permits for your dates, we can try to watch Recreation.gov for cancellations, but we can’t promise anything.
We can’t create extra permit capacity or bypass BLM’s visitor limits. And we don’t sell permits on their own.
Can you hike Aravaipa without a permit?
No. Don’t go without a permit.
Day hikers need one too, and rangers check permits. BLM can kick you out and cite you.
Aravaipa is a delicate ecosystem, and the quota must be respected. That goes for our trips too.
Where else can you hike if your dates won’t work?
Go to another trail.
The Mogollon Rim has a couple of trails we love that need no permit and have year-round water: Horton Creek Trail and See Spring Trail.
Near Tucson, there’s Hutch’s Pool, which normally holds water all year, and Seven Falls and Tanque Verde Falls, which don’t always run.
Check Forest Service alerts before you go.
How do you get the dates you want next time?
- Count back 91 days from your entry date.
- Create your Recreation.gov account beforehand.
- Know whether you need an East or West permit.
- Be ready at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. That’s 7:00 a.m. Arizona time during daylight saving months and 8:00 a.m. during standard time months.
Where we come in
Moonflower Guide Co. runs private guided day hikes and backpacking trips in Aravaipa Canyon. If you’re open to a guided trip, check with us in case we have permits for your dates.
By Axel Albin-Lax, Moonflower Guide Co.
Permit rules can change. For an independent trip, check Recreation.gov and the Bureau of Land Management before you go.
