Grand Canyon officials are to shut off drinking-water supplies at three points along the Bright Angel Trail on Sunday, as the park conserves limited reserves following last week’s deadly flash floods.
From 10am on 6 September, potable water will no longer be available at the 1.5-Mile Resthouse, the 3-Mile Resthouse, or the Havasupai Gardens day-use area and campground. The National Park Service has not said when supplies will be restored.
The restrictions come as crews assess extensive damage to trails, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure in the inner canyon. A flash flood on 29 August damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, the system that supplies water to the South Rim and facilities below the canyon rim.
Park officials have advised visitors not to rely on taps along the trail. Day hikers should carry enough water for their entire trip, while overnight visitors staying at Havasupai Gardens should bring sufficient supplies or be prepared to collect and properly treat water from natural sources.
“All hikers should carry a reliable water treatment method,” the National Park Service said.
Deadly flash floods in Bright Angel Canyon
The flooding began at about 2.30pm on 29 August in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area. It destroyed or damaged footbridges over Bright Angel Creek and prompted a major rescue operation, with about 80 air rescues reported.
Two hikers, John Giusti, 46, and Brent Rosenkranz, 42, both from Granbury, Texas, were confirmed dead. A third hiker, Tim Smith, 53, a pilot from Wyoming, remains missing.
The National Park Service has expanded closures in the inner canyon, including the Bright Angel Trail below its junction with the Tonto Trail. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the North Kaibab Trail and both the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge also remain closed, with no reopening date announced.
Officials said alerts issued through the Grand Canyon River Alert System gave hikers crucial time to move to higher ground before floodwaters arrived. The first warning was sent shortly before 12.30pm, roughly two hours before the flooding began.
The park is still asking anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on 29 August to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch on 888-653-0009 or at nps_isb@nps.gov.
The appeal includes people who may have been on the North Kaibab Trail between the trailhead and Phantom Ranch, at Bright Angel Campground, or in the area known as the Box north of Phantom Ranch.
