Parts of Grand Canyon National Park Campground Set to Reopen for Visitors After Wildfire Devastation
On July 4, the sky above Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park beamed with lightning as gusts of wind unleashed a disaster loose upon the expanse. “It was a feeling of helplessness,” a hiker described to FOX 10 Phoenix News. Within the next few hours, it became impossible to control the wildfire, which was devouring the park’s aurreal canyons, rivers, bushes, and trails, all the more spurring the formation of monstrous fire clouds. Almost 50 to 80 structures, including the historic lodge on the North Rim, collapsed in heaps of rubble. A water treatment plant was blasted, spilling all of its chlorine into the park, prompting firefighters to rescue visitors. Today, three months later, the park has announced the reopening of two of its popular areas, per NPS.
Nicknamed the “Dragon bravo fire,” this wildfire was declared the “most destructive fire on the North Rim” as a viewer described to CBS 5. Ever since it erupted the first time and gained momentum, the fire swallowed up nearly 105 acres of the Grand Canyon, rising to the status of a “megafire.” Now, two of these areas, namely the Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Campground, will reopen for visitors beginning on November 1.
The Phantom Ranch will provide a canteen, cables, and water as per availability to the visitors. Tipping off from the Phantom Ranch, the Lower South Kaibab Trail will also be opened. These initiatives are intended to restore access to “key inner canyon destinations” following closures caused by the Dragon Bravo Fire, trail stabilization work, and ongoing infrastructure projects, the NPS explained.
Some areas, however, including the River Trail, the Silver Bridge, and the North Kaibab Trail north of Clear Creek, will remain closed through December 31, 2025, due to post-fire hazards and repair work of a key pipeline segment. Additionally, the visitors may have to suffer from temporary interruptions in water pumping operations as part of the Transcanyon Waterline Replacement Project, between November 4 and November 18. During this period, drinking water will be available at the Phantom Ranch center spigot near the canteen and Havasupai Gardens, but still not in the Bright Angel Campground, the Delta Restroom, and the Boat Beach, per KTAR News.
According to the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the objective of the Transcanyon Waterline Replacement Project is to “modernize the park’s aging water delivery system” over a multi-year infrastructure effort. The work is anticipated to continue through 2027. “Plan ahead, carry water, and check trail conditions before entering the inner canyon,” the park suggests to visitors in a Facebook post.
Some people, however, don’t like the idea of reopening the park’s features while most employees are on furlough due to the prevailing government shutdown. “When most staff furloughed, it seems crazy to open more areas for people to get themselves into trouble with little to no backup,” wrote Barbara Ann. Ultimately, no one can say for sure how the crowd will respond to this re-opening gesture, and whether the campgrounds will be able to take just as much of their typical crowd. Nevertheless, those who have grown up hiking in these trails and dipping their feet in the icy cold creeks have a window of opportunity to jump outside their home and relish all that they can to the fullest.
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