I came last winter really liked it and my favorite part was the sunset. Just wanted to share I know my friends are tired of hearing about it

TRAIL ALERT: Bright Angel Trail Closure from Mile-and-a-Half Rest House to Havasupai Gardens

Due to recent rockfall, a section of the Bright Angel Trail will close beginning at 11 p.m. tonight, Tuesday, Oct. 13. The closure affects the trail between Mile-and-a-Half Rest House and Havasupai Gardens and is expected to last, at minimum, 72 hours.

The closure is necessary to protect visitor safety and allow crews to safely clear the area for hikers and stock.

Please plan accordingly and avoid the closed section of trail while crews complete this work. Updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

Additional trail closures and updates can be found on the park's Key Hiking Messages website: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/key-messages.htm

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/1UnrdknuBY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

NPS would like your feedback about the North Rim rebuild. There are currently 3 options. You have until November 6th. Thank you Hiking guy for the info.

Here is the link https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=153246

While wandering around the GCNP website I came across the Backcountry and River Use Statistics for 2024, the most recent available (https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/2024_Backcountry_and_River_Use_Statistics.pdf). There's all sorts of interesting data there that I think fellow GC nerds will find fascinating.

One of the things that caught my eye was the Backcountry Use by Year table on page 8. There were a couple of things that I found interesting:

1. I'd had the impression that there was a huge increase in use after the 2020-21 pandemic. Maybe that was true for visitors at the Rim viewpoints; but backcountry use peaked at about 97,500 in 2018 and was down about 28% from the peak in 2024.
2. As one might expect, Corridor areas had the highest usage and Wild the lowest. But somewhat surprisingly (at least to me), Primitive areas generally had higher usage than Threshold areas.

Our group is 10 is looking to visit Zion and GC South Rim during Thanksgiving week. We can either spend 2 nights in Zion (1 full day to explore) and 3 nights in GC South Rim (2 full days to explore) or switch it so that we do 2 full days to explore Zion and 1 full day to explore GC South Rim. Given the weather at that time of the year, we will most likely avoid Angels Landing and the Narrows but want to do the other good hikes at Zion. What would people recommend?

Happening TODAY: Join our virtual public meeting on the North Rim's future.

6 p.m. Arizona Time / 7 p.m. MDT - Link posted on our Meetings page: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/
MeetingNotices.cfm?projectD=138278

We'll walk through the draft concepts and the questions we're asking the public to weigh in on. Can't make it live?
A recording will be posted afterward.

As a reminder, seasonal closures on the North Rim begin Thursday, Oct. 15. The North Rim Campground, General Store and Backcountry Information Center will close for the season. The scenic road to Cape Royal and Point Imperial will be closed from sunset Oct. 15 through sunrise Nov. 3, 2026, to accommodate critical road repair and rehabilitation work.

NPS Photo

Hi!

I have a question about this upcoming "El Nino" winter we are about to have for the locals of the area.

I was asked to watch over a property this winter. It is off of East Foothills Drive. It's pretty barren, spread out, offgrid.

This might be a dumb question, but does ANYONE maintain/plow the roads back there? County? Or a fellow resident in the community?

I'm not new to dealing with the snow, I grew up in snowy weather and spent the last 8 years in Tahoe, CA....been skiing for 20 years....so I understand snow...

My concerns are that:

1. Everyone is screaming about an El Nino winter. I haven't even seen a winter in Arizona to base this off of.

2. I have a Subaru Impreza, not the best when it comes to clearance.

3. I'm going to be brand new to the area and won't have anyone to reach out to if I need help.

I keep bringing up to my friend that I'm concerned because it's a claimed El Nino winter. He says not to worry and everything will be fine.

I just don't want to commit, make the drive, get situated and then get snowed in all winter long because my roads aren't maintained.

It's just not realistic.

I just wanted to get some other outside locals opinions and thoughts on the topic.

Am I making a dumb decision?

Thank you 😊

We were booked at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for one night the first week of November, staying at Bright Angel Lodge, having breakfast at El Tovar and dinner at the Arizona Steakhouse.

So, far, Bright Angel canceled our reservation. I was prepared a month ago, knowing the situation, that this might happen and booked the Grand Canyon Holiday Inn Resort in Tusayan.

But, El Tovar seemed to remain open, that is until last night, when we were sent a cancellation notice. I suppose that's okay. We paid extra for breakfast at the Holiday Inn. Not the same, but...

What remains is the Arizona Steakhouse, which, remarkably, is still open. However, it seems awfully expensive; the menu is limited, and despite the restaurants in Tusayan being lackluster, we may decide to eat there.

Can anyone verify where the portable toilets are located within Mather Campground and more importantly whether they are actually regularly kept clean?

The National Park Service has released three preliminary concepts for rebuilding the North Rim after the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire. Public comments are open through November 6, 2026, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time. This is an early stage of planning. The input collected now will shape the alternatives that go into the full recovery plan.

Planning materials and the comment form: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?documentID=153246

Background

The Dragon Bravo Fire started from a lightning strike in July 2025 and burned into September. It burned about 71,130 acres of park-managed land and destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge plus more than 100 other structures. The fire was initially managed under a confine-and-contain strategy instead of full suppression.

The effects have carried into 2026. On August 29, repeated monsoon storms caused a flash flood in Bright Angel Creek. Three hikers died, more than 80 people were rescued, and the Transcanyon Waterline was heavily damaged. Meteorologists and researchers point to several overlapping causes: extremely intense rainfall, drought-hardened soil, and the Dragon Bravo burn scar above the drainage, which increased runoff. Fire resilience and flood risk are both fair topics for your comments. The NPS specifically asks for input on them.

3 Concepts

Concept A: Restore and Modernize

The lodge returns to Bright Angel Point, possibly reusing the old terraces and the moon room. It adds the least new development, and the seasonal closure lets the plateau rest each winter. It would probably be the simplest to build and staff.

Concept B: Transform

This extends the season by roughly three months and adds winter recreation, a dark sky viewing area, and a full visitor center at CC Hill. The new lodge would face Transept Canyon. The old lodge site would become pedestrian space on the rim, which keeps that view open to everyone instead of tying it to a building. The document does not explain how Highway 67 access would work in winter.

Concept C: Expand

This offers the most access. It includes year-round lodging, more campsites, winter yurts, and several new trails: a loop using the Old Bright Angel Trail, a Walhalla Rim Trail from Point Imperial to Cape Royal, and a Bridle Path connector to the Widforss Trail. The shuttle would reduce cars on the peninsula, which could make the rim area quieter on foot. This option would diminish the remote, seasonal feel that sets the North Rim apart from the South Rim.

Actions Common to All Concepts

Lodging and camping

• Explore converting staff cabins next to the campground into rentable cabins
• Switch campground reservations to rolling windows (for example, two days, two weeks, or twelve months out)
• Add electric hookups to some campsites
• Retrofit campground lights to dark sky standards
• Convert the Backcountry Information Center building for use by the campground operator

CC Hill becomes a new visitor hub

• Build visitor facilities with orientation, exhibits, and programming space (size varies by concept)
• Add a paved parking area plus a gravel lot for overflow and overnight parking
• Realign and improve the road to CC Hill
• Move the North Kaibab Trailhead to the new CC Hill parking area
• Move the backcountry information center from the campground to CC Hill
• Add a picnic area and an accessible trail

Wayfinding and orientation

• Improve signs at the entrance station and the Lindbergh Hill picnic area
• Explore expanding visitor information at the Jacob Lake Visitor Center

Trails and unpaved roads

• Add or formalize trails connecting the campground to other parts of the park
• Improve trails to match their intended uses
• Expand accessible trail options
• Promote hiking away from the crowded Bright Angel Peninsula
• Reroute the Arizona Trail away from the utility corridor, improve its Highway 67 crossings, and upgrade it to National Scenic Trail standards
• Convert Fire Point Road to a hiking trail inside the park and install a vehicle barrier at the Forest Service boundary
• Improve unpaved roads for multiuse recreation and so they can serve as fire breaks

Visitor activities

• Consider keeping, reducing, or eliminating commercial mule rides that start on the North Rim
• Set aside periods when the Cape Royal and Point Imperial roads are closed to cars and open only to hikers and cyclists

How to comment

The comment form asks three questions:

1. How do each of the proposed visitor-lodging concepts meet or not meet the needs and expectations of current and future generations of visitors?
2. What are the benefits of the 3-season, 4-season, or year-round visitor season concepts? How could the NPS improve them?
3. Which features or elements of these concepts strongly appeal to you? What aspects contribute to that appeal?

The NPS asks commenters to include their reasoning with each answer. Concerns and ideas not covered by the concepts are also welcome, including fire resilience and flood safety.

Due to the august/september canyon flooding, I had to circumvent the trail path from the south rim to the river and back. I decided to start at the south kaibab trailhead at 6 am for the wide, open, panoramic views, especially at “ohh ahh point”. Then at the trail junction, I took Tonto west trail. The rest of the south kaibab trail down to the river was closed at this point. The Tonto trail eventually lead me to the bright angel junction, from which I took it down to pipe creek beach at the Colorado river. Then I turned around and took the bright angel trail back to the south rim. I carried and drank 3 liters of electrolytes and 3 liters of water along with some crackers. Total time was 11 hours and 15 minutes including rest times. Temperature at 5-6 in the morning was about 55-60 F and at the bottom of the canyon at 11-12 pm was about 80-85 F.

Our group of 10 is looking to stay in Williams at an Airbnb for 3 nights in November. There are a couple of hotels available in Tuyasan, but Williams is cheaper and our entire party could stay together which would be more fun for our group. Is it too far to drive to the South Rim each day for the 3 days that we plan to visit South Rim if staying in Williams? We are wondering if the tradeoff for driving an hour each way is worth it so that we can all stay together in the same house.

My wife and I are just shy of 70 and are planning a three night stay at the South Rim the first weekend in November. She has some health issues and does not do well walking on uneven ground. This would eliminate all but the shortest hikes. I plan to spend the money for a helicopter tour but after that I presently don't have any ideas. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Also, I am tacking this trip on to a business trip to Las Vegas, so we will be driving down and back and if there are worthwhile stops along the way, any tips for that would be appreciated as well. (We have already done the dam.) Thanks.

Hi I'm heading to Vegas in December from Aus and wanted to book a Grand Canyon south rim tour. I've noticed a lot of companies are not taking bookings, say they aren't running tours or offer primary west canyon tours instead. I did a bit of research and I get that there are water supply issues. can anyone let me know if tours will be running as normal soon? or am I better off just booking west rim? or do I wait until closer to December? any help would be appreciated.

I work at the park and so i feel like ive gotten to see versions of the canyon that most people don't see in photos when it's always sunny and clear and i am very lucky for that :)

Hello, I’ll be spending this weekend in Sedona until next Wednesday. My family and I wanted to spend a day in the Grand Canyon and our original plan was to go on Sunday. Do you think it’s feasible to go to the South Rim on Sunday (with the rainstorm) or reschedule until Tuesday?

I will be in the North Rim area soon, but it was recently announced that while I’ll be there Cape Royal and Point Imperial roads will be closed. I was planning on visiting since I have never seen the Grand Canyon before. With the North Kaibab trail being closed indefinitely as well do you think it’s still even worth going? I would obviously love to experience the Grand Canyon but I am worried that with these closures it would be a bit of a disappointment. Thanks in advance! I would love to hear others thoughts.

Any advice on if to cancel my trip (Saturday-monday) due to the tropical storms causing potentially heavy rain and flooding - especially on the burn scar (which could cause mudslides and close the road). I've never been in the area and not sure about where the burn scar is relative to the road. I might not get the chance to visit the grand canyon for years. Anyone else rationalizing the risk vs reward?

Planning on retiring in 2028 and heading out during the spring for a couple of days to celebrate. It will be a solo trip. Experience hiking Mt Katahdin and Mt Washington. Was considering South Rim to Bright Angel Campground for a night and then return to South Rim via Bright Angel Trail. Pretty doable? Welcome any suggestions or alternatives with hike or making reservations. Was hoping to stick to roundtrip hike vs. rim to rim due to logistics. Thanks.

Resident Water Services and Facilities Being Reduced Starting Friday, Oct. 9

 
Household water use may now resume within current Stage 4 water conservation measures.Grand Canyon National Park will begin reducing water conservation services provided specifically for residents starting Friday, Oct. 9. 

These services were established in early September to help support the community during ongoing Stage 4 water restrictions. The water conservation services offset approximately 12,000 gallons of water each day for potable water tanks, portable showers and restrooms, handwashing stations and laundry services.

The park has begun hauling upwards of 200,000 gallons of water into the community each day. With water now being hauled directly into the park’s water system, monitoring water quality at the system level provides a more effective approach than maintaining separate conservation services for residents. Water hauling is also more efficient and costs approximately half as much as maintaining those services. Water hauling will continue, with approximately 4.5 million gallons of water anticipated to be delivered before the current contract is completed.  
 
Residents are encouraged to continue conserving water in their homes by only running full loads of laundry, limiting showers, using paper products and baby wipes when practical, and making other choices that reduce water use.

The following dates and times are the final opportunities for residents to use these services: 

Laundry: All laundry units will be removed Sunday, Oct. 11. The final drop-off time for laundry service varies by location. Specific final laundry drop-off and pick-up times are available here.  

Showers: Last showers will be available at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Shower units will be removed Sunday, Oct. 11. 

Portable restrooms: Portable restrooms in residential areas will be removed Sunday, Oct. 11. The number of portable restrooms around office areas will be reduced beginning Sunday, Oct. 11. 

Handwashing stations around offices: The number of handwashing stations around office areas will be reduced beginning Saturday, Oct. 10. 

Residential Potable water tanks: Friday, Oct. 9, is the final day to fill residential potable water tanks. Tanks will be removed Saturday, Oct. 10. A list of remaining potable water tanks are available here.
 
Water conservation services at public and visitor locations and most administrative areas will remain in place for use. These services are also available for residents and include potable water tanks, portable restrooms and handwashing stations.  

We understand that these services have become an important resource for the community, and we appreciate everyone’s continued cooperation and conservation efforts as the park works to maintain the community’s water supply during this ongoing emergency. Every drop counts. Continued conservation by everyone in the community will help sustain our water supply until water pumping is expected to begin on or around Nov. 16.

Headed to the Grand Canyon this week.

I am hoping to recreate this picture of my Dad from 20 years ago.

We are looking to visit the North Rim in a 24-foot overlander camper. It has high clearance and 4-wheel drive. I see that the Cape Royal Road is restricted to vehicles 22 feet and below. Are there any accessible hikes on the North Rim that we can drive to while also avoiding Cape Royal Road? My research is coming up empty. Looking to be there in just a couple of weeks. Thanks.