Prescribed pile burning operation along South Entrance Road, Spring 2021 (NPS Photo)
GRAND CANYON — Beginning Monday, October 18, National Park Service (NPS) fire managers will begin pile burning along the Hwy. 64 corridor on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
Hand piles composed of woody debris are located along the Hwy. 64 corridor, north of the South Entrance Station and along Desert View Drive. Fire managers plan to continue igniting piles over the next several weeks when conditions are suitable to meet management objectives. Prior to implementing the burns, fire managers will evaluate current conditions and will only begin ignition if the prescribed fire conditions are within allowable environmental parameters.
Smoke will be visible within the area and traffic signs will be posted along the roadway advising visitors of the operations. If traveling along Hwy. 64, visitors are asked to be prepared for slower traffic and minor delays within the area of the pile burns.
Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property. Fire managers carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions that are favorable to assuring firefighter and visitor safety and to achieving the desired objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing accumulations of hazard fuels, maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem and protection of sensitive cultural and natural resources.
For additional information, visit the Grand Canyon National Park Fire Information webpage.
Grand Canyon National Park, located in northern Arizona, encompasses 277 miles (446 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is 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.