This Part of Grand Canyon National Park Is Set to Close for the Season on November 14
Grand Canyon National Park has announced an early closure of the North Rim. Earlier, the closure was scheduled to occur by November 30, but that has now changed. The North Rim closure will be implemented on Friday, November 14, at 5:20 p.m., and all visitors will be prohibited from accessing the site. Forecasts of winter weather and expected snowfall in the upcoming weekend prompted this decision, according to the National Park Service. The weather condition is expected to create unsafe travel conditions. Therefore, the closure will be in the public's best interest. The national park had just reopened in the autumn because of a major wildfire that kept it closed for most of 2025.
The Dragon Bravo Fire also allowed only limited access to the park for an extended period earlier this year. The place is still recovering from the post-fire hazards ahead of the winter closure. The park will remain closed throughout the season and will reopen on May 15 in 2026. However, the reopening also depends on several external factors like weather, trail conditions, infrastructure readiness, and hazard mitigation. "Visitor, employee, and responder safety remain the park’s highest priorities. Fire-damaged trees, unstable ground, and unmitigated debris continue to pose risks across the North Rim and along the North Kaibab Trail," NPS said.
Hence, these regions of the North Rim will follow the winter closure protocol of the park. Select trails, including the North Kaibab Trail, and all North Rim roads will be closed throughout the season, following the area-specific closures related to the Dragon Bravo Fire in addition to the annual closure protocol. The public's entry to fire-affected developed areas will be restricted under these protocols. Backcountry routes under 36 CFR §1.5(a)(1) and §1.5(a)(2) will also be blocked for visitors amid the hazard mitigation process and road conditions of the area. These protocols imposed by the agency have to be abided by, and any violation could lead to strict action.
"The North Kaibab Trail will remain closed until further notice due to damage and rockfalls along the upper section of the trail," the NPA added. The South Rim of the park usually remains open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but the federal shutdown has changed the dynamics. The visitor center of the South Rim will remain closed until further notice. "Trip planning and hiking information is available through permanent exhibits and sidewalk signs outside of the visitor center building," the agency added. The Grand Canyon Conservancy Park Store across the plaza from the Visitor Center is still open between 8 am to 7 pm every day.
The shutdown, which was the longest in the history of the U.S., officially ended after 43 days. Although it's great news for the visitors and the furloughed employees, it'll be a while before things go back to normal. Carolyn Widner, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, shared her take on the reopening of the national parks. "I'm happy to see the shutdown end. I am concerned about the overall impact that it had on our park," Wider said, as per ABC13 News. "There was vandalism. There were impacts, lots of off-camping in places that were not appropriate. Lots of roadside impacts, vehicles up on areas on the parkway that were causing resource damage," she added.
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