A water shortage is causing facilities to close.
A water shortage has driven the National Park Service (NPS) to temporarily close hotel accommodations on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park starting Thursday afternoon, at the beginning of the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The shortage is caused by breaks in the waterline that supplies fresh water from the Colorado River at the base of the canyon for use in the park’s visitor facilities. The NPS notes that no water is currently being pumped to either rim of the canyon using the Transcanyon Waterline, which was first built in the 1960s to provide water for the fast-growing number of visitors.
Xanterra, which has the contract to operate the park’s concessions, has indicated that it will be unable to accommodate overnight guests from August 29 through September 4 while emergency repairs are made to the water pipes.
While overnight accommodations are closed to guests, the park remains open for day use, and the visitor center, clinic, post office, and dining facilities remain open. Hotels, grocery stores, and services outside the park in the towns of Tusayan and Williams will also remain open, and the Grand Canyon Railway will continue services between Williams and the South Rim of the canyon, but guests traveling on packages that include overnights in the South Rim may need to rebook or amend their packages to move their lodging to the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams.
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Campgrounds also remain open, but only “dry camping” is permitted because of the water restrictions. The park will keep water faucets flowing in bathrooms. Fires will also be prohibited. The Park Service is also asking residents and visitors to conserve water by limiting showers, turn off faucets while shaving or brushing teeth, and operate clothes washers with full loads.
The National Park Service has a multi-year plan for upgrades to the Transcanyon Waterline, which has “exceeded its expected lifespan” and has experienced significant failures over the last 15 years. The water delivery upgrades are expected to be completed in 2027. The park has had periodic water restrictions in place since early July in response to smaller breaks in the Transcanyon Waterline and other supporting water delivery systems.
Accommodations affected by the closure include the El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, and Phantom Ranch, plus the Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village. Restaurants at these lodges, however, remain open—only overnight accommodations are affected by the water restrictions.
Guests planning to visit the Grand Canyon for day use can visit the park’s operational page for updates on the status of facilities in the park each day. If lodging shortages ultimately persist past the Labor Day weekend, causing lodging in Williams and Tusayan to sell out, there is a significant amount of lodging available in Flagstaff, Arizona, 79 miles away.
Nearly six million visitors visit Grand Canyon National Park each year, making it the second most visited national park in the country after Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee/North Carolina border.