Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: Jan. 27-31, 2025

Winter Arrives to the Canyon (Finally!)

This week, Northern Arizona finally got the memo that it’s winter—bringing much-needed precipitation across the region, including several inches of snow on the South Rim and a hearty 8 inches on the North Rim.

As of this writing, Desert View Drive and Hermit Road on the South Rim have REOPENED following several days of closure. Road closure information is always available by calling the park’s Roads Line at 928-638-7496.

For those who like to be ahead of the curve, Everbridge alerts are a great way to stay informed in real-time about road closures, power outages, weather events, and any other emergency situations that might pop up. This free service helps ensure you’re never caught off guard when the weather gets unpredictable.

Sign up today by following this link.

Welcome Stephen Hummel, GCC Astronomer in Residence for February!

We’re excited to welcome Stephen Hummel as the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Astronomer in Residence for the month of February!

Stephen’s first program will be a laser-guided constellation talk on Monday, February 3, at 7:00 p.m. outside the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The program will last approximately 1 hour.

Stephen is the Dark Skies Initiative Coordinator for McDonald Observatory, part of the University of Texas at Austin. His work focuses on preserving dark skies in far west Texas. As an experienced astronomy and dark sky educator, Stephen has led hundreds of constellation tours, telescope viewing events, and training sessions for state and national park staff. He also collaborates with businesses, hotels, industrial facilities, and local governments on lighting design to help preserve dark skies.

In addition to his professional work, Stephen is an award-winning astrophotographer, specializing in capturing rare electrical phenomena above nighttime thunderstorms. For a full schedule of Stephen’s upcoming programs, visit the park’s Upcoming Night Sky webpage: https://go.nps.gov/gc-nsky

On Friday, Jan. 24, an NPS garbage truck came dangerously close to catching on fire due to ashes being improperly discarded in a regular trash dumpster. This incident required the operator to dump the entire load at an intersection, and while our engine crew quickly extinguished the flames, the situation could have had far more severe consequences.

The risks associated with improper ash disposal are significant and include potential employee injury, costly damage to equipment, and even the very real threat of igniting a wildfire in residential areas.

To help prevent future incidents, please adhere to the following important guidelines:

• Know where your nearest ash dumpster is from your residence (and use it!).
• Dispose of ashes only in dedicated ash dumpsters located throughout the village.
• Do not dispose of ashes in regular trash containers, as they pose a serious fire hazard.
• Ensure that ashes are completely extinguished before disposal. Do not assume they are cool enough to safely place in trash dumpsters.

Your cooperation is crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of our entire community, including both residents and responders.

2025 Havasupai Camping and Lodging Reservations Open Saturday, February 1

Havasupai camping and lodging reservations for 2025 will open on Saturday, February 1. To make a reservation, simply log in to an existing account at www.havasupaireservations.com, or create a new account for either the campground or lodge and select from the available dates.

Here are the details:

• Campground reservations: $455 per person for 3 nights.
• Lodge reservations: $2,277 per lodge room (up to 4 people, 3 nights).

Please note that reservations are non-refundable and non-cancellable. While it’s not required, it is highly recommended to name potential alternate trip leaders (PATL) when making a reservation. Additionally, please remember that only one reservation per person is allowed.

Grand Canyon Incident Report Available

Grand Canyon Law Enforcement has combined significant incidents from all districts including the South Rim, Canyon District, and the North Rim.

See the latest Incident Report:

Grand Canyon Incident Report ending January 29, 2025

Shelby Thomaston, South Rim Village Interpretive Ranger

I was born and raised in northern Indiana and studied Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology at Indiana University. Like many NPS employees, I started working with parks as a Student Conservation Association intern—with my first gig in 2017 as a Naturalist at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in California. This was my first time out west, my first time hiking and camping on my own, and this summer was when I truly fell in love with public lands. Each summer in college I took internships taking me to new places and upon graduation, the internships and seasonal positions continued to take me to the mountains, beaches, and deserts.

I moved to the Grand Canyon Village in April 2023 as a seasonal Interpretation Ranger and began my permanent Interpretation position last March. I currently live here with my husband, Marshal, and adorable lil doggy, Smokey. Working at Grand Canyon with my amazing co-workers and living in this community has been a tremendous privilege!

My favorite things to learn about and talk about with visitors (and my friends) are the Paleozoic fossils and California Condors. My most rewarding experience while working for the National Park Service was last fall when the Interpretation team was able to visit the condor release site atop Vermillion Cliffs. We witnessed at least 25 condors soaring over us at once—something I could have only dreamed about before that moment. My second most rewarding experience is every single day that I get to witness a condor soaring over the Grand Canyon and sharing that moment with those around me.

I also have never backpacked before, and it is a personal goal to take my first backpacking trip inside the canyon (hit me up with recommendations)!

Grand Canyon Rec Center Announces February Event Calendar

See all the fun events happening at the Grand Canyon Rec Center in the month of February! Zumba/Salsa nights, karaoke, trivia, a Valloween Party and much much more!

See the full event calendar and more information here.

Valentine’s Day Flower Sale at the General Store

Kaibab Learning Center is hosting a Valentine’s Day Flower Sale on Friday, February 14th at the DNC General Store on the South Rim from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. All proceeds go towards educational and childcare programming for the center.

More information, including pricing for individual flowers and bouquets can be found in the attached flyer here.

South Rim

Xanterra

• Maswik Food Court, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Maswik Pizza Pub, 4-9 p.m.
• Bright Angel Fountain, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Harvey House Café/Fred Harvey Burger Restaurant, Breakfast 7-10 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Dinner 4-8 p.m.
• Fred Harvey Tavern, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, (food until 9 p.m.)
• Arizona Steakhouse, Closed from Jan. 2-March 3, 2025
• El Tovar Dining Room and Lounge – Breakfast 7-10 a.m., Lunch 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Dinner 4:30-9:00 p.m., Lounge, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (food until 8:30 p.m.)
• The Grand Canyon Kennel, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
• Grand Canyon Rec Center, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Delaware North

• Yavapai Dining Hall, breakfast 7-10 a.m., dinner 5-8 p.m.
• Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-9 p.m.
• Coffee Shop, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
• The Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• Camper Services, daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Other

• Grand Canyon Clinic: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Canyon Adventures Bike Tours and Cafe: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC): 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily
• Grand Canyon Conservancy stores: Verkamps 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Yavapai Geology Museum-8 a.m.-6 p.m., Visitor Center Plaza-8 a.m.-6 p.m., Kolb Studio-8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• The Grand Canyon Community Library: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Grand Canyon Food Pantry: Monday 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday 5:30-7 p.m., Saturday 2-4 p.m.
• Canyon Community Yoga & Wellness (at the Rec Center): Full class schedule can be found here. Use discount GCLOCALS at checkout.
• Inner Canyon:
• Bright Angel Trail from Havasupai Gardens to Silver Bridge, closed Oct 21, 2024, to May 14, 2025
• Silver Bridge, closed Oct 21, 2024, to May 14, 2025
• Bright Angel Campground, closed Nov 4, 2024, to May 14, 2025
• Phantom Ranch (Lodging and Canteen), closed from Jan 2, 2025, to Mar 30, 2025

Desert View

• Desert View Trading Post and ice cream and coffee shop, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Desert View Watchtower and store, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last tower access tickets given out at 4 pm.
• The Desert View Deli and Market, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Desert View gas station (24 hours)-pay at pump only

Please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website for a complete list of closures and available amenities.

• View from the East Veranda of the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim on Jan. 29 (NPS Photo/M. Jenkins)
• North Kaibab Trailhead on Jan. 30 (NPS Photo/S. Lawson)
• A laser constellation program on the rim of the canyon (NPS Photo/A. Mann)
• Trash in the roadway catching on fire following improper ash disposal on Jan. 24 (NPS Photo)
• Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Reservation (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
• Shelby Thomaston, South Rim Interpretive Ranger, posing with some condor friends (Photo courtesy of S. Thomaston)