Grand Canyon National Park
Key Messages – Week of April 26, 2021
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This week’s numbers at a glance:
- The average number of new cases per day in Arizona in the last week was 719, slightly higher than 602 per day in the previous week.
- The total number of cases in the 86023 zip code since the pandemic began is 203. This number represents cases both inside and outside the park.
- Since the pandemic began, we’ve had 47 total positive COVID-19 cases in the park. To date, and as reported, none of the positive cases resulted from interaction with park visitors.
- More detailed statistics are available on the Coconino County COVID-19 Dashboard.
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Navajo Nation Moves to Code Yellow
- Navajo Nation is moving from Code Orange to Yellow. Changes include the following: restaurants with indoor dining can operate at 25% capacity; restaurants with outdoor seating can accommodate 50% capacity. Navajo Nation casinos are allowed to open at 50% of maximum occupancy but only for Navajo Nation residents, citizens and employees (no visitors and tourists).
- The following are currently not allowed in the Yellow phase: flea markets, roadside markets, and youth programs. Navajo Nation health department officials are evaluating conditions for reopening these types of operations.
- Navajo Nation Parks will reopen in a phased process; no dates have yet been set for full opening.
- Wearing a mask in public is mandatory on Navajo Nation. The Nation is currently in a Shelter in Place order, including daily curfew hours from 11:00 P.M. MDT to 5:00 A.M. MDT.
- As always, there are no restrictions upon staff or community members relative to travel to and from the park.
- You can read NDOH Public Health Emergency Order 2021-008 here.
- Specific guidance for the Navajo Nation can be found on the Navajo Nation website.
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Public Health Consultant Contact Information
If you test positive or become ill with COVID-19 symptoms, please report your situation to your supervisor and our NPS Public Health Consultant immediately. This is to ensure proper public health protocols are followed and that any exposure to the virus is minimized.
- Ronan King, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Public Health Service
- Mobile: (202) 891-8599
- Email: ronan_king@nps.gov
- For all email correspondence, please also cc: Chris Glime, Captain, U.S. Public Health Service
- Mobile: (202)641-3518
- Email: christen_glime@nps.gov
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This Week’s COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Vaccination numbers continue to improve across the country, state and county. However, our colleagues at the CDC and Public Health Service have noticed that vaccination rates are beginning to drop off, indicating that folks are either choosing to not be vaccinated, or, in some cases, not getting their second dose of the 2-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Please get vaccinated and encourage your family and friends to get vaccinated. We cannot contain this pandemic unless we all do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.
As of Monday, April 26th:
- More than 290 million vaccine doses have been administered in the US.
- Over 50% of adult Americans have received 1 vaccine dose, and nearly 29% are fully vaccinated.
- Approximately 40% of Arizonans have received 1 vaccine dose, and 30% have been fully vaccinated.
- In Coconino County approximately 45% of the population have received the 1st dose, with 37% fully vaccinated.
To schedule a vaccine appointment at the Grand Canyon Clinic, call the clinic directly at 928.638.2551. As of Tuesday, April 27, the Clinic has administered 2044 total doses – 977 individuals are fully vaccinated and 138 people have received 1 dose and are scheduled for a 2nd dose in the coming weeks. Thirty additional doses are scheduled for this week at the clinic and 60+ were scheduled for the Tusayan vaccine event.
CDC and FDA have lifted the pause on the Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine in the United States and it is available again for administration. However, women younger than 50 years old especially should be aware of the rare risk of blood clots with low platelets after vaccination. The risk of blood clots from catching COVID is far higher than the risk from the vaccine. If you received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine or have questions about it, there is additional information available on the CDC website.
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What Can I Do If I’ve Been Fully Vaccinated?
- You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart.
- You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying 6 feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- You can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.
- If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
- If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
- It’s still important to avoid large indoor gatherings.
- Remember to keep wearing a mask whenever you are:
- Gathering indoors with unvaccinated people (including children) from more than one other household
- Visiting indoors with an unvaccinated person who is at an increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk
AS A REMINDER, this guidance does not apply to people living and working in shared quarters and bunkhouses, nor does it apply to our outdoor “Mask Mandate Zones” as defined in the Superintendent’s Compendium. All the current guidance and restrictions put in place by DOI and NPS still apply.
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Northern Arizona University’s Union Fieldhouse in Flagstaff opened a new vaccination site. This new location is open to Coconino County residents as young as 16 years of age.
The site is open 7 days a week from 7 AM to 5 PM and will have 1,000 appointments available each day. You can learn more from
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COVID-19 Testing Details
- The Grand Canyon Clinic has hours for COVID testing on Wednesdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. If you need a test outside of this hour, you need an order from your health care provider indicating a test is warranted.
- In Flagstaff, COVID testing is available at Coconino Community College at 2800 South Lone Tree Road, and the NAU Fieldhouse at 1050 Knoles Drive.
- Testing is also available at other locations in Flagstaff, including:
- Walgreens on 4th Street
- NextCare Urgent Care
- The Veterans Affairs Clinic
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Messages and Grand Canyon News
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Shuttle Bus Operational Changes
Starting May 1, shuttle bus capacity will increase to 20 passengers (from 15). This increase was done in consultation with Paul Revere Transportation and U.S. Public Health .
- The Hikers’ Express bus will be at 5, 6 and 7 a.m. and run directly from the Backcountry Office to the South Kaibab Trailhead
- For June, July and August, times will change for the Hikers’ Express Bus. It will run at 4, 5, and 6am, directly from the Backcountry Office to the South Kaibab Trailhead.
- General summer shuttle bus service from May 29 through September 10 will be:
- The Hermits Rest Route (Red Route) and the Kaibab Rim Route Eastbound (Orange Route);
- Both routes will start at 4 a.m. and run until one hour after sunset
- There will be a Visitor Center-Hermit Road Express Bus:
- It will go directly from Grand Canyon Visitor Center to Hermit Road and vice versa.
- It will not make any other stops in the Village.
- There will be two express buses running every 15 minutes from 12 (noon) until 8 pm daily.
- The following routes will not operate this summer: Village Route (Blue Route), the Kaibab Rim Route Westbound, and the Tusayan Route (Purple Route)
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Grand Canyon Seeks Skilled Volunteers for Bison Reduction
On Tuesday, Grand Canyon, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), announced that we are seeking skilled volunteers to assist with the lethal removal of bison on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in the fall of 2021. NPS employees are not eligible to apply.
Given the current distribution, abundance, density and the expected growth of the bison herd on the North Rim, the NPS is concerned about increased impacts on park resources such as water, vegetation, soils, archaeological sites and values such as visitor experience and wilderness character. Reducing the herd size will protect the park ecosystem, resources and values.
The effort to reduce bison to a more manageable herd size is supported via consultation with the public and traditionally associated Tribes as well in the 2017 Environmental Assessment conducted by NPS, the State of Arizona and the US Forest Service. In addition to removal, Grand Canyon National Park biologists began piloting live capture and relocation in 2019. Since the program began, 88 animals have been captured and relocated to five American Indian Tribes through an agreement with the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council. These animals will augment existing herds managed by these Tribes. In addition, NPS and USGS biologists have placed GPS collars on 25 animals to help with population estimates, migration patterns and temporal locations. Grand Canyon will continue live capture and relocation operations in the fall of 2021.
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Artist in Residence Program Returns
For the first time in four years, Grand Canyon National Park will host artists on the South Rim through a newly revived and restructured Artist in Residence program. With the support of the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the park’s official nonprofit partner, the new program is envisioned to be international in scope, providing accomplished professional artists the time and space to explore and develop significant work to enhance our understanding of the canyon and its communities. To learn more about the program visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/getinvolved/supportyourpark/air.htm. In addition, the new Astronomer in Residence program offers professional and amateur astronomers, educators, scientists, writers, and visual and performing artists the opportunity to practice and share their discipline under one of the most pristine night skies in the United States. Through artwork and educational outreach, the program inspires park visitors about the values of dark night skies, spreads awareness about the threats of light pollution, and explores society’s complex relationships with natural darkness. Learn more at https://www.grandcanyon.org/astronomer. Minute Out In It: Flannelmouth Sucker
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Go Before You Go! Cedar Ridge Composting Toilets Now Unavailable through 5/12
GRCA trails staff will close the Cedar Ridge Compost Toilet Facility on the South Kaibab Trail for much needed maintenance, evacuation, and rehabilitation between Sunday April 25th and Monday May 10th.
The tanks must be completely evacuated to perform the necessary maintenance. The rehab work will be done by a contractor from Advanced Composting Systems.
If you plan on hiking the South Kaibab trail, know that you should use restroom facilities prior to beginning your trek. The toilets at the trailhead will be unaffected.
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Piles Burned 4/28
For those who have entered the park recently, you may have noticed smoke and burning debris along the side of the road.
This week, park wildland fire personnel burned woody debris piles just beyond the South Entrance Station and on the left side of the highway.
Recent moisture from snow and rain provided an opportunity to reduce hazardous fuels in the park’s forested areas.
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Current Operational Updates
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Desert View Accessibility
- The East entrance gate is open to traffic on Highway 64.
- Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream opened April 16th.
- Desert View Gas Station opened April 16th, offering Pay-at-the-Pump services only.
- Desert View Campground will open on April 29th. We will start taking reservations on April 21st. via www.recreation.gov.
Weekly Concessions updates
The following Concessions services will be available this week:
- The Fred Harvey Food Truck will be located at the El Tovar / Hopi House area from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Seven days per week, weather permitting.
- Maswik Gift Shop has expanded its hours to 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Canyon View Market Deli is currently closed. To help compensate for the closure, the Canyon View Market will open at 7a.m., additional Breakfast items will be available at the Yavapai Coffee Shop (open 7 AM – 1 PM), and Lunch and Dinner will be available at Yavapai Tavern (open 12 PM – 9 PM).
The following park closures remain in place:
- All residential areas
- South Rim Visitor Center and Headquarters
- South Rim Backcountry Information Center
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