The Havasupai Tribe has decided not to allow professional guides to escort visitors to its reservation in the Grand Canyon, an area which includes waterfalls that cascade into swimming holes that are warm year-round.
Tourists can visit the waterfalls, either by reserving a room at the tribe's only lodge or by obtaining a permit for one of hundreds of camping spots scattered amid a creek.
But starting next month, they'll have to find their own way to the reservation's waterfalls and caves, and carry their own food and gear.
A spokeswoman for the Havasupai Tribe said the Tribal Council's decision isn't a reflection on the outfitters, but rather a move by the tribe to manage all tourist traffic itself.
The tribe estimates that between February and November, it gets 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per year to its reservation, which is in a gorge west of Grand Canyon National Park accessible only on foot or by helicopter, horse or mule.