Grand Canyon Conservancy

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Grand Canyon National Park Expands Inner Canyon Closures Following August 29 Flash Flood

Grand Canyon National Park continues response and recovery operations following the destructive August 29 flash flood that caused significant damage in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area.

Park staff and partner agencies are conducting damage assessments and beginning repair and stabilization work in areas where trails, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. Maintaining safe access for response personnel and keeping visitors out of hazardous areas is critical as this work continues.

To support these operations and protect visitor safety, the park is expanding temporary closures in portions of the inner canyon. Effective immediately, the following areas are closed to visitor use:

🚫🥾South Kaibab Trail below the Tip-Off
🚫🥾Bright Angel Trail below the intersection with the Tonto Trail

Commercial and non-commercial river trips may continue to conduct exchanges at Pipe Creek Beach along the Bright Angel Trail.

The North Kaibab Trail, Cottonwood Campground, Phantom Ranch, the Bright Angel Campground, and the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge were previously closed following the August 29 flash flood.

There is currently no estimated date for reopening these areas.

Full news release: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-expands-inner-canyon-closures-following-august-29-flash-flood.htm

09/01/2026

🚨 GRAND CANYON FLOODING: how you can help:

Right now, the priority is protecting lives, supporting emergency response, and assessing the full extent of the damage.

As the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon Conservancy is working alongside the park to support emerging needs.

While assessments are still underway, we know support will be needed in three key areas:

👉 Community and Responder Support: Supporting emergency responders and community members affected by the flooding.

👉 Environmental and Infrastructure Recovery: Supporting the assessment and eventual restoration of damaged infrastructure and impacted areas.

👉 Visitor Experience: Helping visitors continue to experience, learn from, and connect with Grand Canyon as recovery moves forward.

Your gift today gives Grand Canyon Conservancy the flexibility to respond quickly as needs emerge and direct resources where they can make the greatest difference.

We’ll continue to share updates as we learn more about the flooding and the park’s recovery needs.

Make a donation here: https://bit.ly/3SGeTfm

Read more on our blog: https://bit.ly/4zLY4QM

Photo: NPS

08/31/2026

Recent flash flooding along Bright Angel Creek caused significant damage to infrastructure within the inner canyon and, tragically, has resulted in confirmed fatalities.

Our hearts are with everyone affected by this devastating flooding, especially the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives and those who remain missing.

We are deeply grateful to the National Park Service and emergency responders who continue their search-and-rescue efforts under incredibly difficult conditions.

All Grand Canyon Conservancy staff and program participants are safe, but we know the impacts to Grand Canyon are significant.

The full extent of the damage to trails, water systems, and other infrastructure will take time to assess.

As the park’s official nonprofit partner, Grand Canyon Conservancy stands ready to support the National Park Service and the Grand Canyon National Park community as immediate needs become clearer and recovery work begins.

Photos: NPS Photo/J. Thompson. Remnants of stone bridge pylons remain along Bright Angel Creek following a flash flood that destroyed the footbridge on August 29. The flooding caused significant damage to infrastructure throughout the canyon.

08/31/2026

Search and recovery efforts continue following the flooding in Grand Canyon National Park. One body has been recovered and recovery operations for a second body are currently underway. Preliminary assessments indicate approximately 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed. Forecasted weather may affect the timing and pace of operations.

Visitors are asked to remain out of the closure area while search and recovery operations continue. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch remain closed until further notice.

For current conditions and updates, visit: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

08/31/2026

August 30 Update — 6:30 PM:

As of this evening, recovery operations have been completed for a 46-year-old male near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. The Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office is currently onsite. There is no additional information to share at this time. We will provide updates as soon as available.
____________________________________________________________

STAGE 4 WATER RESTRICTIONS BEGIN AUGUST 31

Grand Canyon National Park will implement Stage 4 water restrictions on the South Rim beginning at noon Monday, August 31, following the significant flash flooding that occurred along Bright Angel Canyon on August 29.

The flooding caused extensive damage to inner canyon infrastructure, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon to the park. The waterline is currently not operational, leaving the park with limited water reserves.

As a result, the following measures will be in place for the foreseeable future:

Overnight accommodations: All park concession overnight accommodations will close beginning August 31, including El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Phantom Ranch, Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village. Hotels in Tusayan will not be affected.

Dry camping only: South Rim campground water spigots will be turned off. Bathroom faucets will remain operational, and water will be available at the Mather Campground check-in kiosk.

No fires: Wood-burning and charcoal fires are prohibited on the South Rim and in the inner canyon, including campfires, warming fires and charcoal grills.

Day use continues: The park will remain open for day use. South Rim food and beverage services, the Grand Canyon Clinic and Post Office will remain open, although some operations may have reduced hours.

Help conserve water: Visitors and residents are asked to take showers of five minutes or less, turn off faucets while brushing teeth or shaving, flush toilets selectively, run full loads of laundry and report leaks.

These measures are necessary to conserve limited water supplies while the park assesses damage from the August 29 flash flood and works to stabilize the water system.

Full news release: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-to-close-overnight-hotel-accommodations-beginning-august-31.htm

NPS Photo/J. Baird: A storm system moves across the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park on August 29, 2026. The storm produced heavy rainfall that contributed to significant flash flooding in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area.

08/30/2026

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REQUESTED

The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.

If you know of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or if you had a campground reservation in the affected area, please contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB).

This includes people who may have been:
• Traveling the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch
• Staying at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground
• Traveling through “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch

📞 NPS ISB Tip Line: 888-653-0009
📧 Email: [email protected]

Please provide any information you have, including a person’s name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when they were last known to be in the area. You do not have to provide your name.

Full news release: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/public-assistance-requested-to-account-for-individuals-following-grand-canyon-flash-flood.htm

08/30/2026

We’re excited to welcome Alessandra Vertrees, our Artist in Residence from August 30 to October 25.

Alessandra is a multidisciplinary artist, software engineer, and food storyteller exploring memory, heritage, and belonging through food. Her work brings together technology, ancestral knowledge, and sensory design to explore how ingredients, especially Indigenous plants, can carry stories of lineage, land, and survival.

During her residency, Alessandra will trace her maternal family roots in nearby Williams, where her abuela and great-grandmother were born. Through field recordings, recipe mapping, and culinary experiments, she’ll create a multisensory body of work that connects ancestral memory to the landscape of Grand Canyon.

We can’t wait to see what she discovers and how she shares those stories with the Grand Canyon community.

Visit our calendar page to stay up to date on all programming happening at Grand Canyon! https://bit.ly/4qKH8Gk

08/30/2026