Messages and Grand Canyon News-Week of June 12, 2023

2023 Star Party

The annual Grand Canyon Star Party will conclude this Saturday, June 17. On the South Rim, events include a nightly presentation from a special guest speaker at 8 p.m. in the plaza of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, followed by telescope viewing behind the building. Green-laser constellation tours will be offered nightly at 9, 9:30 and 10 p.m..

The list of speakers can be found on our Grand Canyon Star Party webpage, in the attached flyer, and also in the NPS Mobile App.

During Star Party week, the Education Staff is conducting family hikes during twilight (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 14 through 16) to celebrate Grand Canyon’s dark skies!

Kids of all ages and their families are invited to join a ranger to experience and explore nightfall during a 45-minute walk. Meet outside Shrine of the Ages Auditorium (Parking Lot A) a 7:30 p.m. More information, including a flyer can be found here.

North Kaibab Trail reopens for the season this Friday

On June 16 at 12:01 a.m. the North Kaibab Trail from the Trailhead to Manzanita Rest Area will officially reopen for the season to hikers. NPS trail crew staff have been hard at work since April clearing rockfall and rebuilding vast sections of the trail between Supai Tunnel and Redwall Bridge. More than 11 stone retention walls have been rebuilt, one switch back has been rebuilt, over 20 rockslides have been cleared, and numerous points of exposed waterline have been covered and protected.

Here’s what to expect:

Trail work repair will continue between Supai Tunnel and Redwall Bridge. Intermittent trail closures will be in effect and hikers should anticipate closures up to 30 minutes. These closures are necessary to allow our trail crew staff to work safely in clearing rockfall debris.

A handline has been installed at the worst location (see left photo above) to provide additional safety measures while traversing this section. Please proceed with caution and turn around if you reach a point where you do not feel safe crossing.

Please be mindful not to kick or knock loose rocks as you hike through the switchbacks between Redwall Bridge and Supai Tunnel. This is a good practice always, but very important while work is ongoing!

Thank you for your patience as we work to make this section of the North Kaibab passable for hikers this season!

Celebrate Juneteenth here at Grand Canyon!

Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy would like to invite everyone to celebrate Juneteenth at the Grand Canyon on Monday, June 19!

Special daytime events include a 10 am Ranger Talk at Verkamp’s Visitor Center exploring the history and meaning of Juneteenth, across the nation and here at Grand Canyon.

This program will be followed immediately by a 2.5 mile (4 km) ranger-led Freedom Walk from the Historic Village to Grand Canyon Visitor Center. This walk will symbolize the 2.5 years it took for the Emancipation Proclamation to reach Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865. Along the way, Ranger Lynda will share opportunities to learn more about community and freedom related to this special day.

From 11 am – 4 pm, everyone is invited to come by the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Plaza to learn more about Juneteenth, appreciate live music presented by the Aaron McCall Band.

At 3 pm, please join us for a special presentation at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center by Margaret Hangan, Project Archaeologist for Tonto National Forest. Her program, “African American History and Migration to Northern Arizona,” will explore the mechanisms that brought people of African descent to the western United States, with an emphasis on the Grand Canyon region.

Thank you to Grand Canyon Conservancy for the generous support in making this lineup of events possible!

Cultural Demonstrators next week at the Desert View Watchtower

Join us at Desert View Watchtower Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, June 20 through 22, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to meet Zuni Silversmith, Pamela Lasiloo.

Pamela has 16 years of experience and specializes in creating very fine silver inlay jewelry using natural stones like turquoise, coral, lapis, and sugalite —along with shells like mother of pear and blacklip. The words “delicate” and “petite” describe her work —some of finest inlay jewelry made.

Reconciliation of Place Names Committee hosts first in-person meeting this week at Grand Canyon

On November 19, 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Secretary’s Order No. 3405 (Addressing Derogatory Place Names), which directed the National Park Service to establish a new Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names on behalf of the Department of the Interior.

The committee’s purpose is to identify existing federal land unit names and geographic feature names that may be considered derogatory and recommend potential replacement names to the Secretary of the Interior.

The committee held its first in-person public meeting this week, June 14-15, at Grand Canyon and Horace Albright Training Center. In addition to committee members, representatives from some of the Inter-tribal Working Group were in attendance.

Employee Spotlight!

Jesse Barden

Park Ranger, Interpretation

I first visited Grand Canyon when I was 8 years old on a family vacation. My younger brother looked over the railing, exclaimed “seen it,” and headed back to the car, but I was awestruck. That memory stayed in the back of mind until, after my 3^rd season at Lava Beds National Monument, I was offered a seasonal position at Desert View. I spent my (almost) 2 seasons there being awestruck by the Canyon every day. I took a brief hiatus from the NPS when I got a permanent job on the Oregon Coast. From the time I arrived I could feel the Canyon pulling me back. My partner Ceili and I are heading into year 6 on the North Rim where I have been the interpretation operations lead and seasonal supervisor since July of 2021.

What have you enjoyed the most about working and/or living at GRCA so far?

I enjoy getting deep into the Canyon backcountry and finding out what secrets are hiding in the hard-to-reach places, on foot, on rope, and by boat. I also love working collaboratively with the interpretation team and other divisions to make Grand Canyon a better, more inclusive place to work and visit. I’m in awe of how supportive and cohesive the North Rim community is in completing projects, responding to SAR/EMS calls, moving snow, and particularly at Tuesday night volleyball 😉.

Any adventures you’re looking forward to this year?

I’m looking forward to deepening my already encyclopedic knowledge of outstanding small-town pizza places. I’m also looking forward to spending 28 days on the river staring on October 30th!

COVID Updates

Total new COVID cases in Arizona for the week of June 1 through June 7, is 1,622 —an increase of 706 cases from the previous week. The seven day rolling average is now 231 cases per day.

Be sure to promptly report any illness, to include possible COVID-19 symptoms, COVID exposure, or a positive COVID test to your supervisor and our Public Health Consultant, Ronan King. Ronan can be reached at: 202-891-8599 or Ronan_King@nps.gov.

Grand Canyon Community Corner

Special performances by the Dupkia Hoyam Dancers from the Hopi Tribe

Performances will take place starting at 6:45 p.m. at Desert View Amphitheater on Wednesday, June 21, then on Thursday, June 22, at 3:30 pm at the Visitor Center Plaza in the village. Performances last about an hour. The events are free and open to the public. This is a presentation of the Grand Canyon Speaks program (for more programming information, see the attached flyer here).

The Dupkia Hoyam Dancers (Canyon Kids) are locals that have been here at the Grand Canyon for years. They will be performing the Butterfly Dance which is a social dance. They are dancing for rain and snow so we can have good crops and moisture for the land. The dancers are local students from Grand Canyon School and are 5th Generation, having a long history with their, parents, grandparents and great-great grandparents living & working here in the park.

Current Operational Hours

*Please note: new changes to operations are indicated in bold/italic

South Rim

Xanterra

Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Maswik Pizza Pub, 4-8 p.m.
Canyon Coffee House at the Bright Angel Fountain, 7 a.m.-11 a.m.
Bright Angel Fountain grab and go, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Fred Harvey Burger, breakfast 8-10:30 a.m., lunch 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., dinner 4-9 p.m.
Arizona Steakhouse within Bright Angel Lodge is now offering dinner service from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily. Lunch service is from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Fred Harvey Tavern, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
El Tovar Dining Room and Lounge-Breakfast, 6:30-10 a.m., Lunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Dinner, 4:30-9:30 p.m., Lounge, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Patio (limited menu), 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
The Grand Canyon Kennel is open seven days a week with hours from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Grand Canyon Rec Center, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Delaware North

Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-10 p.m., Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop, 6:30 a.m. -3 p.m., The Yavapai Dining Hall, breakfast, 7-10:45 a.m., dinner, 5-9 p.m.
Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Camper Services laundry and shower is now open from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. dailywith the last laundry load at 8:30 p.m. and the last shower at 9:45 p.m.

Other

Grand Canyon Clinic: open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Bright Angel Bikes, Rental: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Café 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC): 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Thursday-Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday)
Grand Canyon Conservancy stores regular hours: Visitor Center Plaza, Yavapai Geology Museum, Verkamps, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily., Kolb Studio 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.
- Due to low staffing levels, the Grand Canyon Conservancy has made the decision to close Kolb Studio beginning Friday, June 16. There is no estimated date for reopening, however, the daily house tours on Tuesdays thru Thursdays will not be impacted.
Grand Canyon Community Library: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Canyon Closet (located behind Community Library) will be closed for the remainder of the summer.
Grand Canyon Food Pantry: Mondays 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesdays 6-8 p.m., Saturdays 2-4 p.m.

Desert View

Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
Desert View Watchtower, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
The Desert View Deli, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

North Rim

North Rim Visitor Center (GCC), 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily
NPS Backcountry Information Center, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-5 p.m. daily
Camper Store by campground (Aramark), 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily
Campground will be reopening for the season Friday, June 9
Grand Canyon Lodge Gift Shop (Aramark), Sunday-Thurs. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
The North Rim saloon has reopened for the season with hour from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.

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

Photo Credits (in order of appearance)

A couple enjoys the 2023 Star Party (and each other) (Photo courtesy of VIP Dean Ketelsen)
NPS Trail Crew works to repair missing sections of trail along the North Kaibab Trail (NPS Photos)
Silversmith crafts by Zuni Silversmith, Pamela Lasiloo (Photo courtesy of P. Lasiloo)
DOI Reconciliation of Place Names committee members and local tribal members (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
Jesse Barden, Interpretation Ranger on the North Rim enjoys a slice, or two, on his time off (Photo courtesy of J. Barden)
Dupkia Hoyam Dancers from the Hopi Tribe, 2021 (NPS Photo)

Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.

Grand Canyon National Park

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior