The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is set to partially reopen next week for the first time since a pair of massive wildfires destroyed many of its beloved buildings this summer.
Highway 67 (to W1 road) and Cape Royal Road will reopen on Wednesday, Oct. 1, offering access to scenic places like Point Imperial and Cape Royal. Fire Point and Swamp Ridge will also reopen, according to an update from park officials. The reopened sections will welcome visitors from sunrise to sunset daily through Nov. 30, or until the first major snowfall of the season, when the section’s normal seasonal closure begins.
These areas were closed on July 10, when park officials shut down the entire North Rim due to dangerous conditions created by the White Sage Fire burning near the northern entrance to the park. The Dragon Bravo Fire, which started by lightning on July 4, had only scorched 120 acres at the time of the closure, but it grew quickly after the closure, as hot, dry and windy conditions fanned its flames.
North Rim’s iconic Grand Canyon Lodge and many other historic structures within the North Rim were destroyed as the fire grew out of control. Park officials had initially determined that the North Rim would be closed for the remainder of this year after the buildings burned.
The wildfire has since burned more than 145,500 acres within areas in and around the park and is currently 94% contained, federal firefighters reported on Friday. Officials report there has been minimal fire growth over the past few weeks.
While parts of the park will now reopen, park rangers are urging visitors to exercise caution while traveling within the North Rim because of active firefighting operations and other impacts of the fire.
“Hazards remain, including dead standing trees, the potential for flash flooding even in areas not directly affected by the fire, and the presence of crews and equipment actively working on (the) recovery operation,” park officials wrote in their update. “Emergency response will be extremely limited, and response times may be significantly delayed.”
Visitors are also recommended to bring all necessary food, water and supplies, including fuel, because there is currently no power, running water, cellphone service or fuel stations in the areas set to reopen.
Grand Canyon National Park is typically one of the most visited national parks in the West, often battling Utah’s Zion National Park for the crown every year.
However, Grand Canyon’s visitation has dropped since the North Rim closure. A little more than 883,000 people visited the Grand Canyon throughout July and August, representing about a 16% drop from the same two months last year, according to National Park Service data.