Grand Canyon National Park abruptly closed a number of hotels near the iconic destination just before Labor Day weekend, leaving distraught families without plans for their summer vacations.
Park officials announced the surprise closures, which take effect Thursday, citing a “series of four significant breaks” in the 12.5-mile-long pipeline that supplies water to the park, with no end in sight to the disruption.
“Since July 8, the park has faced challenges with water supply and currently no water is being pumped to either the South Rim or the North Rim,” the park said. The National Park Service said.
The beautiful Arizona location attracts tourists from around the world, and shocked travelers have no idea when the facility will be up and running again.
“I understand the need and appreciate the efforts, but I had planned the trip of a lifetime with my daughter, flying in from Iowa this Monday and Tuesday,” devastated mother Heidi Zahner Younts wrote on Facebook. In response to the notice.
Grand Canyon National Park has abruptly closed a number of hotels near the iconic destination, leaving distressed families without plans for their summer vacation (pictured: tourists walking along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in February 2022)
Laurie Feazell Richardson said she was saddened by the news after making reservations to celebrate her wedding anniversary.
“What a disappointment! We’re going on a week-long trip for our 45th anniversary. We’ve been planning this trip for a year,” she wrote on Facebook.
The action, which includes the closure of at least six hotels and RV parks as well as limitations on camping, “will be implemented on the South Rim for the foreseeable future,” the park said.
Some travelers fear the closures could persist beyond the summer and into the fall.
“We are booked for October,” Heather Stedman Johnson wrote on Facebook. “I booked an entire trip around this… I hope it doesn’t become a recurring problem…”
Kirsten Heike echoed the same concern about her mid-September booking.
“Can anyone say how long the closures will last and what the ‘foreseeable future’ might mean? Days? Weeks? Months?” he wrote on the park’s Facebook page.
Laurie Feazell Richardson (pictured left) said she was saddened by the news after booking a night out to celebrate her 45th wedding anniversary.
“I understand the need and appreciate the efforts, but I had planned the trip of a lifetime with my daughter,” devastated mother Heidi Zahner Younts said of the closures.
Shocked travelers have no idea when facilities will be up and running again, they commented on the national park’s Facebook post announcing the closures.
Hotel facilities including Xanterra’s El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge and Phantom Ranch, as well as Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village, will be closed to overnight guests.
Hotel facilities outside the park in the town of Tusayan will not be affected, park officials said.
Within the park, only dry camping will be permitted, and water spigots will be closed at South Rim campsites. However, bathroom spigots will remain operational and water spigots will be accessible at the Mather Campground registration kiosk.
Campfires will not be permitted on the South Rim or in the interior areas of the canyon. All wood and charcoal fires are prohibited, including campfires, warming fires, and charcoal barbecues.
Backcountry hikers should carry all necessary water or water treatment methods.
Pictured: Water drips from a break in an exposed section of the Transcanyon Waterline in an undated photo released by the National Park Service.
Pictured: Water pours from a break in an exposed section of the Transcanyon Waterline in an undated photo released by the National Park Service.
The park will remain open for day use, as will South Rim food and beverage services, the Grand Canyon Clinic and the post office.
On the North Rim, the Grand Canyon Lodge and visitor services, including camping, will remain open.
“These measures are critical to ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources. The goal is to restore full operation of the area for overnight visitors to the South Rim as soon as possible,” park officials said.
The park is asking visitors to conserve water by limiting showers to five minutes or less, turning off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, flushing toilets “selectively,” washing clothes in full loads and reporting any leaks.
The National Park Service said the Transcanyon Waterline, which was originally built in the 1960s, “has exceeded its expected useful life and experiences frequent failures, requiring costly and ongoing maintenance work to repair leaks.”
There have been more than 85 “major” breaks since 2010, disrupting water supplies to about 2,500 year-round residents along with the park’s six million annual visitors.
The National Park Service recently began a $208 million rehabilitation of the Transcanyon Waterway, which is expected to be completed in 2027.
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