Infos zum Grand Canyon NP

Finding of No Significant Impact Signed for the Desert View Inter-Tribal Cultural Heritage Site Plan/Environmental Assessment at Grand Canyon National Park

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Acting Regional Director for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service (NPS), for a site plan to transform Desert View in Grand Canyon National Park into an Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site and share a unifying message from the park's traditionally associated tribes: "we are still here". The NPS is committed to honoring the cultural, historic, and spiritual connections that each tribe holds to the Grand Canyon.

Located at the southeast edge of Grand Canyon National Park, Desert View is near the east entrance to the park. Desert View provides many visitors with their first introduction and orientation to some of the park's most significant resources, including the Desert View Watchtower, a national historic landmark, and its surrounding historic district. The area also offers spectacular views of the Painted Desert and the Little Colorado River Gorge.

Over the last five years, the NPS has worked collaboratively with representatives from the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians (representing five bands of Southern Paiute Indians), Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Navajo, Zuni, and Yavapai-Apache tribes; the Grand Canyon Conservancy; the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA); the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and park concessioners to increase cultural demonstrations at Desert View and identify the necessary infrastructure needed to transform the area into an Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site.

In 2018, the NPS prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Desert View Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site Plan. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the EA evaluated a no action alternative and one action alternative. Public comments received during a 30-day public comment period, that ended November 24, 2018, were used in preparation of the FONSI.

Under the park's selected action, the NPS will continue to partner with associated tribes and park partners to create authentic, first-voice tribal interpretation and expand opportunities for cultural and educational programs including demonstrations, exhibits, and personal interactions with tribal representatives and artisans. In support of these expanded programs, the NPS will modify existing infrastructure, rehabilitate and reuse historic buildings, and complete some new construction within the existing developed footprint at Desert View.

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North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park to Open May 15 for 2019 Season

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The gate at the entrance to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30 a.m. to mark the official opening of the North Rim for the 2019 season. Grand Canyon Lodge and Grand Canyon Trail Rides will also commence their 2019 seasonal operations. Other businesses on the Kaibab Plateau, from Jacob Lake to the park boundary, are expected to be open by May 15.
All services provided by the National Park Service, including the Visitor Center, Backcountry Information Office, and campground, as well as the Grand Canyon Conservancy bookstore, will be available on May 15 at 8 a.m. Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim operations including lodging, groceries, camper services, food services, and gas station, will also open May 15. Lunch will be served starting at 11:30 a.m, lodge check-in will begin at 4 p.m., and seating for dinner will begin at 4:45 p.m.
Visitors to the North Rim will see construction this summer as a water distribution line replacement project gets under way. At various times, work will take place in the campground, employee housing areas, near the lodge and along access roads. Updates will be posted regularly on the park’s website and at various locations on the north rim.
The last day of the 2019 season for most commercial services and regularly scheduled ranger-led programs will be October 15, 2019. The National Park Service will continue its operations including the visitor center, Backcountry Information Office, and campground through October 31. November 1 through December 1 the North Rim will be open for day use only (no overnight parking) unless snow closes Highway 67 prior to that date.

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Grand Canyon National Park Settles On Plan To Replace Transcanyon Water Pipeline

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Grand Canyon National Park officials have settled on a plan to replace their antiquated and leaky Transcanyon Water Pipeline, but they'll need roughly $100 million and the project isn't expected to be completed and up and running until 2025.
Under the plan, the head of the pipeline at Roaring Springs high on the North Rim of the park would be moved down to the bottom of the canyon near Phantom Ranch. There, one of two options would be pursued to obtain the water.
One would be to sink 2-8 shallow alluvial wells located along Bright Angel Creek, a project that would have an operating capacity of 1 million gallons a day. If that's not possible, the second option would entail a surface water intake built on the south end of Phantom Ranch along the creek.
The purpose of the pipeline project is to provide a reliable water delivery system to meet water supply needs at the South Rim and in the Cross Canyon Corridor in the national park. The new project is intended to support the park for approximately 50 years.
Design work is just getting under way on the project, which is expected to cost anywhere between $80 million and $110 million. Funding from park entrance fees and National Park Service line-item construction dollars would be used to pay for the new pipeline.
The current pipeline was constructed in the 1960s, is beyond its useful life, and experiences between five and 30 breaks/leaks a year due to pipe weld failures at joints, internal pipe corrosion, freezing, flooding, and falling rocks, according to park staff.
The pipeline provides water for more than 6 million annual visitors and approximately 2,500 year-round residents, and also provides firefighting water.
The pipeline was built in the 1960s and actually is listed as a "historic district" because of its connection to the massive Mission 66 building program the Park Service conducted between 1956 and 1966 to upgrade park facilities across the system. It has its source at Roaring Springs, which comes out of a cave system that collects snowmelt and precipitation, on the North Rim. The intake there feeds a pipeline that runs down to Phantom Ranch, crosses the Colorado River attached to the "Silver Bridge," and continues on to Indian Garden, where a pump station pushes the water on to the top of the South Rim.
The desire to find a new water source near Phantom Ranch, if successful, would necessitate a disturbance of about 8-9 acres there for a water treatment plant, boost station, the alluvial wells or surface water intake system, water tanks and pipeline, and accommodations for employees. Additional acreage would be needed at Indian Garden for a treatment plant, water tank, and other infrastructure (1-2 acres), at the South Rim for a treatment plant, pipeline, expanded helibase for equipment sorties, and staging areas (15-16 acres), between Phantom Ranch and Indian Garden for new pipeline (11 acres), and for new pipeline from Roaring Springs to the nearby Cottonwood Campground (2-3 acres).
The work is expected to take four-five years. At times the Bright Angel Trail would be closed to hikers, who would be diverted to the South Kaibab Trail. Mule trips would be halted during construction closures along the Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails due to concerns that noise from helicopter flights (up to 12 a day) and construction could scare the animals and jeopardize rider safety.
Closures of the Bright Angel and Indian Garden campgrounds also would be possible, though intermittently and no longer than two weeks at a time.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts could lose up to $3.5 million of the concessionaire's gross annual revenue if Phantom Ranch is closed for the eight busiest months of the year. That amount could be lowered to $1 million-$1.5 million if the closures were spread out over three years and didn't last longer than 2-3 months each year.
Outfitters that lead backpacking trips into the canyon also would lose money -- possibly a combined $1 million-$2 million over three years -- under the preferred alternative.
By sourcing water near Phantom Ranch, the plan would eliminate one of the existing pipeline sections through "the Box" where most of the breaks occur, staff said.

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Celebrate Grand Canyon National Park's 100th Anniversary during Star Party Week, June 22-29

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The twenty-ninth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held Saturday, June 22 through Saturday, June 29, 2019 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. Amateur astronomers from across the country will volunteer their telescopes and expertise for the enjoyment of park visitors. Numerous telescopes will offer views of planets Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars, as well as double stars, star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies-and the Moon, earlier in the week. By day, keep an eye out for solar telescopes pointed at the sun. Weather permitting, expect spectacular views of the universe!

National parks such as Grand Canyon are protective havens for some of the last remaining dark skies in this country. Three years ago, Grand Canyon National Park announced that it received Provisional International Dark Sky Park status through the International Dark-Sky Association. Provisional status gave the park three years to retrofit two-thirds of the lights in the park to be night-sky friendly.

This year, the National Park Service celebrates Grand Canyon National Park's full designation as an International Dark Sky Park, having completed the retrofit requirements in May 2019. We also celebrate the park's 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Grand Canyon was a training ground for the Apollo astronauts where they learned about geological processes before making their epic journey to another world.

To celebrate this confluence of milestones we will host a kick off ceremony on June 22 at 10 a.m. at Mather Point Amphitheater. This ceremony will feature remarks from Grand Canyon National Park leadership, Grand Canyon Conservancy leadership, and International Dark-Sky Association leadership.

During the day on the South Rim, visitors can stop by the Grand Canyon Visitor Center for a variety of activities. Cultural demonstrators will be present all week from 9 am to 5 pm Jr. Ranger Day will take place on June 22 and a film festival will take place June 23-28. Finally, to close out the week, the park will host a Summerfest festival on June 29.

During the evening on the South Rim events include a nightly slide show at 8 pm in the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater followed by free telescope viewing and constellation tours behind the building. To guarantee a seat at the slide show, arrive early; doors open at 7:40 pm and the theater has limited capacity. Green-laser Constellation Tours will be offered at 9, 9:30 and 10 pm. Night sky photography workshops will be offered at 10 pm on the 23, 24, 25, 26 and 28 beginning at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Theater. Parking is available in Lots 1 through 4 (Lot 4 is accessible), or arrive by the free Village Route shuttle bus which runs until 11 pm. Telescope viewing is best after 9 pm and continues well into the night; visitors may arrive any time after dark. A flashlight is recommended for the walk to the viewing area, but white lights are not permitted on the Telescope Lot. Give your eyes time to adapt to the dark, or use a red headlamp.

On the North Rim, telescopes will be set up on the veranda of the Grand Canyon Lodge every evening. Astronomers will also use green lasers to point out constellations. An astronomy slide show will be presented at 8 pm nightly in the lodge auditorium. By day, look for solar telescopes on the veranda and elsewhere. Check the Visitor Center and park bulletin boards for program topics and additional details.

Nighttime temperatures on both rims can be quite cool, even in summer. Those attending the Star Party are encouraged to bring warm layers of clothing. When traveling in the park on the South Rim, it is best to find a parking space and use the free shuttle bus system to access points of interest in the Grand Canyon Village area.

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Backcountry Users Advised of Changes to Water Availability on North Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails

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National Park Service maintenance staff are working diligently to bring inner canyon seasonal utilities on line now that the risk of freezing conditions has passed. As part of this annual effort, they must repair winter damage to the water pipeline and test water quality prior to opening facilities to the public.

Due to water turbidity and maintenance issues, some of the water filling stations and flush toilets normally available along the North Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails at this time of the year will not be open until water conditions change and/or water line repairs are made. The following is a list of the status of inner canyon facilities, as of Tuesday, May 14, 2019:

North Kaibab Trail

Water Available:
Manzanita Day Use Area
Water Unavailable:
Supai Tunnel
Roaring Springs Day Use Area
Cottonwood Campground

Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground

Water available:
Phantom Ranch
Campground restroom - Bucket flushing required. Compost toilets are available.
River restroom - Closed

Bright Angel Trail

Water Available:
Indian Garden
Three-Mile Resthouse
Water Unavailable:
Mile and a Half Resthouse

This information on the status of inner canyon facilities will be updated as conditions change.

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Grand Canyon National Park Officially Certified as an International Dark Sky Park

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The National Park Service and the International Dark Sky Association are pleased to announce that Grand Canyon National Park has received its official International Dark Sky Park certification. To celebrate this milestone and kick off the 29th Annual Star Party, Grand Canyon National Park will hold a ceremony on the South Rim at Mather Amphitheater at 10 am on June 22. Park leadership, Grand Canyon Conservancy management, a historian from Lowell Observatory, and a representative from the International Dark Sky Association will speak about the importance of this certification.
The International Dark Sky Park certification gives Grand Canyon National Park support to continue to grow the park’s educational programs and creates economic opportunities for neighboring communities as well through astronomy-based tourism.
The certification does not carry legal or regulatory authority; however, it demonstrates a commitment by parks to improve night skies through the use of more energy efficient, sustainable lighting. Certification also reaffirms Grand Canyon’s commitment to educate the public and gateway communities about the importance of good lighting and opportunities to work together toward common goals.

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Grand Canyon National Park Implements Temporary Road and Trail Closures on the North Rim

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Grand Canyon National Park has temporarily instituted closures for the portion of the Ikes Fire Planning Area that is within Grand Canyon National Park. The following areas are closed:
The Powell Plateau Trail on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
The North Bass Trail on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
Fire Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
Swamp Point on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
The W4 road north of Kanabownits Lookout on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
This closure will remain in effect until further notice. Other roads and trails in the planning area may be temporarily blocked off due to hazards and fire personnel working in the area.

The Ikes Fire remains mildly active even after receiving some precipitation over the past several days. The fire has grown to approximately 55 acres, nearly doubling in size in the past two days.

Fire crews continue to improve control lines around the planning area in anticipation of the fire's continued growth. The crews are clearing brush and felling hazardous snags along the planning area perimeter.

Grand Canyon National Park is receiving interagency support from two Type Two Initial Attack handcrews and local resources from the Kaibab National Forest and the Grand Canyon National Park. Other resources assigned to the fire are four engines, a medic team, a water tender, safety officer, fire effects monitors, and a resource advisor.

The Ikes Fire poses no danger to structures or local infrastructure.

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Mann stirbt beim Skydiving am Grand Canyon

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Ein Mann aus Großbritannien will eigentlich einen unvergesslichen Moment am Grand Canyon erleben. Doch dann geschieht beim Fallschirmspringen etwas Unvorhergesehenes. Gemeinsam mit seinem Tandempartner reißt es den Mann abrupt zu Boden.

Ein britischer Tourist ist beim Fallschirmspringen am Grand Canyon in den USA unkontrolliert in die Tiefe gestürzt und tödlich verunglückt. Wie unter anderem "USA Today" berichtet, überlebte sein Tandempartner vom Skydiving Centre den Sturz und wurde mit einem gebrochenen Bein ins Krankenhaus gebracht. Der Unfall geschah bereits am Sonntag.

Der 55-jährige Christopher Swales wollte demnach einen tollen Sprung über dem berühmtesten Canyon der Welt erleben. Doch während des Fluges kam es dann zu Problemen, die eine normale Landung der beiden Männer unmöglich machte. "Die beiden Skydiver hatten Schwierigkeiten, als sie landen wollten", erklärte der Sheriff von Coconino County am Grand Canyon National Park Airport der US-amerikanischen Zeitung.
Diese Schwierigkeiten hätten dazu geführt, dass die Männer im freien Fall zu Boden gestürzt seien, berichten die Behörden weiter. Aus welcher Höhe die beiden in die Tiefe fielen, ist noch unklar.
Im Krankenhaus konnte nur noch der Tod von Swales festgestellt werden. Die Polizei ermittelt nun, wie es zu dem folgenschweren Unfall kommen konnte. Außerdem wird die Flugbehörde FAA untersuchen, ob das verwendete Equipment den Vorschriften entsprach und ob der Ausbilder bei dem Tandemsprung auch über die erforderlichen Qualifikationen verfügt habe, erklärte die Organisation in einem Statement nach dem Unfall.

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Man jumps to his death at Grand Canyon Skywalk, officials say

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Authorities are trying to find the body of a man who climbed over a safety barrier at the Grand Canyon Skywalk and apparently jumped to his death.
They say the 28-year-old visitor to the tourist spot on the Hualapai reservation outside Grand Canyon National Park jumped around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
A Grand Canyon West spokesman says a body recovery effort began Sunday morning. Authorities have not identified the man, nor given a reason for why he is believed to have jumped.
Skywalk opened in 2007. It’s a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway that juts about 70 feet over the canyon overlooking the Colorado River.
The vertical drop from the Skywalk is between 500 feet and 800 feet.
A Chinese tourist fell to his death in March when he stumbled while trying to take a photo close to Skywalk.
Though they don't happen every day, deaths in the Grand Canyon are not entirely uncommon. Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Vanessa Ceja previously told The Arizona Republic that about 12 people die each year within the park.
Though many of these deaths are related to accidental falls, some can be attributed to overheating and drowning in the Colorado River.
In 2018, an Illinois man fell 500 feet to his death from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The man climbed over a railing and, according to several park visitors, missed a landing spot he intended to jump onto.
An elderly woman also fell to her death at the canyon in April of this year, plummeting 200 feet in what police deemed an accident. This happened not long after a tourist from Hong Kong fatally fell at Grand Canyon’s West Eagle Point while trying to snap a photo.
The National Park Service tries to ensure the safety of Grand Canyon visitors by advising tourists to "keep a safe distance if at least 6 feet from the edge of the rim" and discouraging running or jumping near the rim. They also prohibit climbing over barriers, though this rule is often ignored.

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Restoration Of Desert View Watchtower At Grand Canyon Completed

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The vibrancy of four years' of restoration works pops out at Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park, where extensive conservation and graffiti remediation work on the historic tower's interior to conserve the murals that were painted circa 1932 has been completed.
Enter the tower near the east end of the park's South Rim and the red, yellow, blue, brown, black and white hues on the walls and ceilings of the watchtower will look as if they were painted yesterday.
Since 2015, one floor of the five-story tower was completed each year in six- to eight-week segments, with work on the fifth floor concluding last month. The conservation effort, completed by Conservation Associates of Santa Fe, New Mexico, began with a comprehensive condition assessment of the tower.
The assessment portrayed damage caused primarily by wind, rain and snow leaking through the stone masonry, resulting in salt deposition on the ceiling and walls, cracked plaster throughout the building, as well as natural and human caused wear and tear from visitor usage over the past eight decades.
The most recent segment of the project focused on graffiti removal and repairs to the walls and wood features in the fifth floor Eagle's Nest also known as the Telescope Room.
"In the worst areas of damage, the conservationists filled deep gouges where names had been carved into historic window sills and staircases. They then used conservation toning techniques to recreate the natural pigments in the wood," said Jenn O'Neill, Grand Canyon National Park's partnerships and planning coordinator. "A different removal technique was required for each type of graffiti caused, for example, by permanent markers, nail polish or pens."
In the lower floors, where the work was focused on the murals, conservation-grade materials were used to stabilize and preserve the remaining pigments in the imagery of the murals, and areas of salt deposition were removed.
"This is the largest conservation project conducted within the tower since it was built and the murals were painted," said Craig Chenevert, the park's historical architect.
"All of the conservation work conducted is reversible should a better conservation technique be developed in the future."
A majority of the funding for the project was provided by an Artplace America grant awarded to the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association Inc. on behalf of Grand Canyon National Park, and a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded to Grand Canyon Conservancy. Grand Canyon Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park.
The Desert View Watchtower, designed by architect Mary Colter, is modeled after the architecture of the ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. Fred Kabotie, a Hopi artist, painted the Hopi room, and Fred Geary painted the two galleries above the Hopi Room with drawings from ancient kivas, caves and cliff walls.
The Desert View area has been used as a gathering place for thousands of years, and it currently represents the physical and cultural gateway from Grand Canyon National Park to tribal communities.

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Record number of California condor chicks hatched in the southwest’s wild population this year

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Grand Canyon National Park documented the fifth wild-hatched California condor chick in the southwestern wild population Oct. 10, making it an annual record number of chicks, or nestlings, within the region.
The nestling, identified by its studbook number of 1005, is estimated to have hatched May 9 from a mating pair with stud numbers 423, a female with wing tag E3, and 521, a male with wing tag J1, at O’Neill Butte.
“We knew that the parents were exhibiting nesting behavior, and it took us a few months to locate it,” said Miranda Terwilliger, a wildlife biologist and Grand Canyon’s condor project manager. “One of our long-time volunteers Bob George, known as Condor Bob, found the nest and chick.”
The mating pair had their first nestling, numbered 850 with wing tag T0, fledge, or successfully leave the nest, from the park’s Newton Butte in 2016. Number 1005 is the pair’s second nestling since number 850.
Positive documentation of wild hatched chicks are recorded with the San Diego Zoo and they assign the studbook number for California condors.
There are currently four wild population areas for the birds: Baja California, Mexico; central California; Southern California; and the southwestern U.S. There are currently 98 free-flying condors in the southwestern wild population and as of December 2018, an overall wild population of 312 birds.
There were 22 condors left in the world in the 1980s, which resulted in the development of the California Condor Recovery Program to save the species from extinction. Six captive-bred condors were released into the wild at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument by the Peregrine Fund in 1996, and since then, Grand Canyon has partnered with them and others in the Southwest Condor Working Group to recover the population.
Grand Canyon provides a protected land resource for breeding, nesting and scavenging habitat with minimized threats. The park’s wildlife program monitors condor activity, population, nests and overall health within park boundaries as well as educates visitors about the species and recovery efforts. One of the highlights for the park was the first successfully hatched and fledged wild condor in 2003.
“It’s important to note that we wouldn’t be as successful without the help of our volunteers. It makes all the difference,” Terwilliger said.
The Peregrine Fund leads all condor releases for the Southwestern population at Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. The last public release was conducted on Sept. 28, and four captive-bred condors were released.
The southwestern, or Arizona-Utah, recovery effort is a cooperative program by federal, state and private partners, including The Peregrine Fund, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management’s Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Grand Canyon and Zion national parks, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Kaibab and Dixie National Forests among many other supporting groups and individuals.

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NPS builds a welcome shady spot on the South Kaibab Trail

New shelter to aid backcountry hikers who may be in distress

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With funding from Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC), Grand Canyon National Park recently completed a shade structure to help hikers traversing the sometimes-strenuous South Kaibab Trail.
A shelter was partially assembled on the South Rim, flown in and completed installation at the Tipoff area, which is approximately four miles from the South Kaibab Trailhead on the South Rim and two miles from the Colorado River. This is the only shelter structure along the South Kaibab Trail.
"We receive a lot of calls from people on the lower half of the South Kaibab Trail who experience fatigue or are overheated," said Grand Canyon National Park Ranger Debbie Brenchley. "This shelter will benefit people who could use a rest house to recover during their hike, especially during the summer."
The structure is 12 feet by 24 feet with 4-foot overhangs to provide shade around the exterior. It features shade screens to provide air flow, six benches inside and a lightning protection system to protect the structure and occupants from lightning strikes.
There are also two 125-gallon cisterns to provide non-potable water for visitors to use to potentially cool down.
“The building site location was selected based off a shade study I conducted on a computer program based off the longitude and latitude of longest day of the year to optimize shade,” said Grand Canyon’s Historical Architect Craig Chenevert.
The Tipoff area previously had restrooms and an emergency phone box. The emergency phone is being relocated within the shelter.
Funding for the shelter was provided by the Grand Canyon Conservancy (GCC), which is the official nonprofit partner of Grand Canyon National Park. The National Park Service and GCC jointly installed the shelter.

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15 Breathtaking Pics Of The Grand Canyon At Night (10 During The Day)

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For many travelers, visiting the Grand Canyon is an experience worthy of putting on a bucket list. According to VoaNews.com, about five million people visit the Grand Canyon National Park every year. It's one of the United State's national landmarks and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Many consider this breath-taking landmark to be one of the most beautiful places in the United States.
The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona and is, according to VoaNews.com, one of the largest canyons on Earth. It's thought to have been formed millions of years ago by the Colorado River, carved into the Earth by floating stones and dirt. The same website states that some of the exposed rocks along the walls of the Grand Canyon are almost 2 billion years old, some of the oldest rocks on Earth.
Its size grants the Grand Canyon unique climates, where the weather at the bottom and top of the canyon are very different from one another. It even allows some pretty rare weather phenomenon, like a "total cloud inversion", where it looks like a sea of clouds has rolled through the Grand Canyon. Such an event happened in 2017, according to LiveScience.com.
These pictures of the Grand Canyon at night and during the day are only a glimpse of this national treasure's beauty and charm.

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Den Grand Canyon sollte man zurzeit meiden:

Grand Canyon Village without power, some roads closed

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Over a foot of new snow fell last night on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Park personnel advise against traveling today while crews plow roads. Desert View Drive is closed. Also, as of this update, no electric power is in the park.
At this hour, I-40 and I-17 are closed. However, conditions on US 180 in particular are likely to be rough/uncertain and Arizona state resources are going to be focused on clearing the interstates first. Safest option is waiting until this afternoon or tomorrow.
State Route 64 between Grand Canyon Village and Desert view is closed this morning, and may be closed all day, since crews first need to remove snow in the Village, and from South Entrance Road.

Current closures include:
I-17 northbound closed from SR 179 junction to Flagstaff.
I-40 closed from US 93 junction to Winslow.
SR 87 closed from Payson to Winslow.
SR 89 closed from Drake to Ash Fork.
SR 89A closed from Sedona to the I-17 junction.
SR 260 closed from Camp Verde to SR 87.
SR 260 closed from Star Valley to Heber.
SR 66 closed from Kingman to 20 miles west of Seligman.
US 60 closed from Show Low to SR 73.
If you encounter a snowplow, do not pass the plow and leave plenty of space between your vehicle and the plow. If you are approaching an oncoming snowplow, slow down and give the plow extra room.

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Colorado man earns world record as oldest man to hike Grand Canyon rim-to-rim

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Craig resident John Jepkema has seen it all in his travels on foot.
From walking all throughout Craig and Moffat County, trails in Palisade and Utah, and three trips rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon — six times total at the bottom of the Canyon, Jepkema has always had his walking boots on.
His last trip rim-to-rim in October was a historic one though. Jepkema, at 91 years old, become the oldest man to ever complete the trip, setting a Guinness Book of World Record in the process.
Jepkema completed the backpacking trip in October with Craig resident Ann Wagner, 70, and Loveland residents Craig Mortensen, 68; Pete Bergmann, 66; and John Whinery, 66. During the trip, the crew documented Jepkema’s journey for the record, allowing him to submit an application to the Guinness Book of World Record for the rim-to-rim hike.

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Grand Canyon among designs for new Arizona ‘welcome’ signs

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The Grand Canyon is among six iconic images of Arizona that will appear on new signs welcoming visitors to the state.
Gov. Doug Ducey, the Arizona Office of Tourism and the state Department of Transportation were set Wednesday to unveil designs for new “Welcome to Arizona” signs that will replace decades-old signs along highways near borders with other states.
According to Ducey’s office, other landscapes that will appear on the the new signs include Saguaro National Park in the Tucson area, Sedona’s Red Rocks, Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River, the San Francisco Peaks overlooking Flagstaff and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Grand Canyon’s 2020 Star Party will be Hosted Virtually

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The 30th annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held virtually June 13-20, 2020. While the on-site event at Grand Canyon National Park has been cancelled on both rims due to concerns over COVID-19 this year, the park hopes to bring the wonders of the night sky into the virtual realm through a series of video premieres on Grand Canyon’s official Facebook account.
Each evening from June 13-20, Grand Canyon National Park will premiere two videos at 6 and 7 p.m. PDT on our Facebook platform. Kicking off the Star Party is John Barentine, who has a doctorate in astronomy and is the director of public policy for the International Dark Sky Association, with a talk about “Dark Skies in Isolation: Why Protecting the Night Sky is More Important Than Ever.”
The weeklong Star Party Speaker Series will feature eight special guest speakers. Each speaker will present their program over a video-conferencing feed. Other guest speakers include Amber Straughn, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and has a doctorate in physics, and Dean Regas from the Cincinnati Observatory.
Astronomers will connect video cameras to their telescopes and pick out 10 to 12 celestial objects over the course of 60 to 90 minutes. Join astronomers from across the country as they develop real time astrophotographs of galaxies, nebulae, globular clusters, asterisms, and much more. The astronomers and speakers will populate the chat rooms during the premieres to answer questions.

National parks such as Grand Canyon help protect some of the last remaining dark skies in this country. Grand Canyon National Park was officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park last year. In the coming years, the park plans on making 90% of the lights dark-sky compliant. The amount of lights inventoried and retrofitted in this process undoubtedly makes Grand Canyon National Park one of the largest, most complex, International Dark Sky Parks in the world.

This event is hosted by the National Park Service, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, Focus Astronomy and the Grand Canyon Conservancy.

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Grand Canyon National Park Announces Modifications to Phantom Ranch Operations

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Effective immediately, the National Park Service (NPS) is implementing modifications to operations at Phantom Ranch through the year 2021. These changes are in response to guidance from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant (PRWWTP), located at the bottom of Grand Canyon, requires critical rehabilitation due to deferred maintenance and increased visitation levels.

In order to reduce water and wastewater demands to the PRWWTP, the NPS will limit overnight use and existing visitor facilities at Phantom Ranch. This project is anticipated to last approximately 18-24 months.

Modified operations will impact both NPS and Xanterra Phantom Ranch facilities. At Bright Angel Campground, site reservations will be decreased by 50% with a reduction in flush toilet restrooms for both day and overnight users. Phantom Ranch will close all hiker dormitories and suspend all guest showers during the project. The hiker dormitories have been closed since March in response to the COVID-19 virus and will remain closed throughout the duration of this project.

All visitors are encouraged to use the existing compost toilets in the inner canyon corridor, including at Phantom Ranch. Day hikers to the inner canyon are reminded to plan ahead to ensure they can properly contain and dispose of all human waste during their hike.

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Foto am Abgrund: 59-Jährige stürzt am Grand Canyon in den Tod

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Eine 59 Jahre alte Frau aus Arizona war mit ihrer Familie abseits der Wanderwege im Grand Canyon Nationalpark unterwegs.
Als sie für ein Foto zu nahe an den Abgrund ging, stürzte sie rund 30 Meter in die Tiefe.
Parkranger konnten nur noch ihre Leiche bergen.

Tragisches Unglück im US-amerikanischen Grand Canyon Nationalpark: Am Freitagnachmittag wanderte die 59-jährige Maria A. Salgado Lopez aus Arizona gemeinsam mit ihrer Familie abseits der Wege, als sie ums Leben kam. Offenbar wollte sie ein Foto am Rande des Mather Points machen und stürzte dabei rund 30 Meter in die Tiefe, teilt der Park in einer Pressemitteilung mit. Parkranger fanden die Leiche kurze Zeit später.
Der Park verband die Pressemitteilung mit einem Appell an die Besucher, sich nur auf ausgewiesenen Pfaden und Wanderwegen aufzuhalten, immer einen Sicherheitsabstand zum Rande des Abgrundes einzuhalten sowie sich hinter Geländern und Zäunen aufzuhalten und von dort aus die Aussicht zu genießen. Immer wieder sterben am Grand Canyon Menschen, weil sie sich zu nah an den Rand wagen. 2018 gab es in dem Park 17 Todesopfer, 2019 starben drei Menschen innerhalb von nur acht Tagen.

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