This year has not been a normal one for the North Rim. The rim will have a brief summer season after its winter closure was delayed due to storms dumping a record amount of snow in the region.
The National Park Service will reopen the North Rim Friday, but with reduced services – at least in its first few weeks, because of a break in the North Rim’s water pipeline.
Park officials said the Grand Canyon Lodge won’t offer overnight accommodations in the season’s first few weeks, and a portion of the North Kaibab Trail will be closed longer than originally planned.
When will Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim open?
Rooms at Grand Canyon Lodge won’t be available until at least July 23 because of the water pipeline break, according to the National Park Service.
Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable said in a statement that the decision to suspend overnight accommodations at the Grand Canyon Lodge was not taken lightly and they recognize the inconvenience this has for visitors planning a trip to the North Rim.
The lodge, operated by the concessionaire Aramark, offered limited food and beverage service when the North Rim reopened on Friday.
When will the Grand Canyon North Rim campground open?
The North Rim Campground will go forward with its previously announced June 9 reopening, with drinking water and toilets available, according to the park service, which manages the campground.
When will the North Kaibab Trail open?
The park service previously said a section of the North Kaibab Trail north of Cottonwood Campground to the North Kaibab Trailhead would be closed from April 12 to June 2 to allow for trail repairs following rockfall and landslides that damaged it.
Park staff needs more time on the repairs. They extended the closure through at least June 15.
When closed, hikers are not permitted to enter for any reason.
Intermittent closures will be in effect for this section of the North Kaibab Trail after it reopens. This will allow staff to clear any remaining rockfall, according to the park service.
The park service previously said access to the Widforss Trail, Point Sublime, the North Bass Trailhead and other destinations on the Kaibab Plateau within the park will reopen after downed trees blocking the routes are removed.
The reopening is scheduled for July 1.
Tags: Grand Canyon, National park service, Ed Keable, North Rim
