The park remains open for day use, but only dry camping is permitted as available water remains scarce
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Flash flooding on Aug. 29 caused extensive damage to Grand Canyon infrastructure, including footbridges and the water supply system
- All park hotels and overnight accommodations are closed indefinitely, but day use and some services remain available
- So far, two bodies have been recovered, with 15 people still unaccounted for as search and recovery efforts continue
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced all hotel accommodations located within Grand Canyon National Park have closed as the area continues to grapple with “significant flash flooding” that occurred on Aug. 29.
Beginning Aug. 31, the park has halted all overnight accommodations at Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge, Trailer Village and all hotel facilities operated by Xanterra, including El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge and Phantom Ranch — the only property located below the Grand Canyon’s rim, which can only be reached by mule, on foot, or by rafting the Colorado River. The accommodations were closed indefinitely, with no reopening date announced.
Credit: GrandCanyonNPS/X
The Aug. 30 announcement came one day after flash flooding caused “extensive damage to the infrastructure in the inner canyon,” according to an NPS press release. It left “nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek” destroyed. The impact also included damage to the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon for use in the park. The waterline is currently not in operation, leaving the park with limited reserves.
The park remains open for day use, and all South Rim food and beverage services, the Grand Canyon Clinic and the Post Office remain operational. Only dry camping will be permitted in the park, as spigot access at South Rim campgrounds has been turned off. However, faucets in bathrooms remain operational.
Credit: GrandCanyonNPS/X
Hotel accommodations located outside the park and in the town of Tusayan are not impacted by the operations changes.
To help conserve water resources, neighboring residents and visitors are asked to limit their showers to five minutes or less, turn off faucets when shaving or brushing teeth, flush toilets selectively and only wash laundry in full loads.
The changes come as search and recovery efforts continue in Grand Canyon National Park. As of Aug. 31, two bodies have been recovered.
On Aug. 30, the Grand Canyon NPS X account announced they recovered the body of a 46-year-old male near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. Identifying information about the second body has not been made public.
In a Sunday release, the NPS said approximately 15 individuals may be missing or still unaccounted for. The flash flood hit the Bright Angel Canyon on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. By early the next morning, many areas in the park had been closed and 62 people were evacuated, with more evacuations planned for later that day.
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The NPS asked the public to report any hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor, or had a campground reservation in that area, on Aug. 29.
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