After a summer plagued by wildfires and evacuations, parts of the Grand Canyon’s rugged North Rim are once again open to visitors—but the timing is complicated.
The phased reopening, which began October 1, coincided with the first day of a federal government shutdown that furloughed thousands of National Park Service (NPS) employees and left many park operations with minimal or no staff.
The partial reopening follows the lightning-sparked Dragon Bravo Fire, which swept through the high country in July and destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, several cabins, and the visitor center.
“This is the first of several phased reopenings planned for the North Rim, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we work diligently to restore access,” Grand Canyon National Park superintendent Ed Keable said in a press release. The NPS added that “all other areas of the North Rim remain closed for the foreseeable future due to safety concerns and ongoing recovery efforts related to impacts from the Dragon Bravo Fire.”
The newly reopened parkland includes Highway 67 accessible up to the W1 Road (around mile marker 11), Cape Royal Road (which provides access to Point Imperial and Cape Royal overlooks), Fire Point, and Swamp Ridge.
Trails including the North Kaibab, Widforss, Transept, and Ken Patrick south of Cape Royal remain closed due to lingering safety hazards and ongoing recovery work. In addition, the North Rim Campground is closed for the season. Visitors who want to experience the North Rim’s rugged wilderness, which spans trails like Cape Final and Roosevelt Point, where mule deer and condors are often seen, should act fast: It’s accessible only through November 30, 2025, or until snowfall or road conditions force earlier closure.
Impacts from the government shutdown
The federal government shutdown has added a layer of complexity to an already complicated reopening for the North Rim.
According to the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the park’s official nonprofit partner, the “Grand Canyon is open and accessible . . . including park roads, lookouts, and trails.” But visitors to the park should keep in mind that all NPS-operated buildings are closed (including visitor centers, museums, and information desks run by the NPS on the more popular South Rim of the canyon). Travelers should check NPS’s North Rim status page before visiting, for up-to-date conditions.
Entrance fees are not being collected during the funding lapse. That loss of operating revenue during an already costly recovery phase could prove challenging for the protected land. Nearly 9,300 of 14,500 NPS employees have been furloughed from the agency, according to a contingency plan published by the Department of the Interior. That means minimal staffing is available to oversee maintenance, emergencies, and enforcement. Previous shutdowns have demonstrated the numerous problems that can result from understaffing, including delayed response to hazards, neglected infrastructure, and cultural and nature resource damage in high-use parks.
Are Grand Canyon hotels closed?
The Grand Canyon Lodges, a commercial concession operator on the South Rim, issued an alert indicating that its lodges, restaurants, gift shops, and services will remain open to guests during the shutdown, on the condition that the park’s entrances and roads stay open.
Given the shutdown and the scope of post-fire reconstruction, it’s unlikely that full operations on the North Rim will resume before 2026. Still, new and newly renovated hotels have opened along the park’s gateways, including Marble Canyon Lodge, a rejuvenated motor lodge near Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River, and the Trailborn Grand Canyon, a 96-room western-inspired hotel in Williams, Arizona, and a slow but steady recovery is underway. The Grand Canyon’s quieter rim is beginning to stir back to life.
