The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is closed for the remainder of the 2025 season because of continued active fire behavior and ongoing risks to personnel and infrastructure due to wildfires. The Inner Canyon is also closed; and Phantom Ranch, North Kaibab Trail, South Kaibab Trail, and Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens are all closed until further notice.
North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park Closed For the Remainder of the 2025 Season: Travel Alert
“The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park exhibited extreme and volatile fire behavior the evening of July 12, resulting in a 500-acre expansion”, according to this official press release from the National Park Service of the United States. “On July 12, at approximately 10:30 p.m., fire activity intensified rapidly, fueled by sustained winds of 20 mph and gusts reaching up to 40 mph. Firefighters made significant efforts overnight to slow the fire’s progression under dangerous and fast-changing conditions.”
Aerial bucket drops were conducted to slow the movement of the fire near the Grand Canyon Lodge and Transept Canyon — but the use of aerial retardant was not feasible due to a leak of chlorine gas at the water treatment facility, which required the evacuation of firefighting personnel from critical zones nearby.
The bad news is that the losses of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous historic cabins in the developed area have been confirmed by fire managers. Preliminary assessments indicate that as many as 80 structures have been lost to wildfires — including administrative buildings and visitor facilities of the National Park Service.
Fortunately, no injuries or loss of life have been reported; and all members of the staff and residents were successfully evacuated prior to the escalation of the Dragon Bravo Fire, which was started as a result of a lightning strike within Grand Canyon National Park on Friday, July 4, 2025, and has since been driven by strong northwest wind gusts, which are not common to the area. 5,716 acres have already been consumed by the fire, with no percentage of the fire contained as of yet at the time this article was written.
The National Weather Service of the United States officially issued an extreme heat warning for Grand Canyon National Park in areas below 4,000 feet in elevation — including the cities of Supai, Grand Canyon Village, and North Rim — through Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 7:00 in the evening Mountain Standard Time. Temperatures reached as high as 94 degrees Fahrenheit within the past week; but the weather is expected to become cooler with a few thunderstorms in the forecast.
“The fire is being managed with an aggressive full suppression strategy”, according to the aforementioned press release. “Fire behavior is still very active, driven by hot temperatures, low relative humidity, and continued strong wind gusts. On July 13, fire managers began ordering retardant drops on the east side of the developed area, including the Roaring Springs drainage, as suppression efforts continue.”
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon remains open to visitors.
Final Boarding Call
If you were hoping to access the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, forget it for this year. Perhaps the North Rim will be open to visitors once again in 2026.
Despite my extensive travels to all 50 states in the United States and to numerous national parks, I still have never been to the Grand Canyon — I have been to what is known as the Grand Canyon of Oman — but I hope to go there sometime in the near future…
