Grand Canyon’s North Rim Returns

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]For nearly a year, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon fell quiet. Sparked by lightning in July, the Dragon Bravo fire swept across more than 150,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 structures.

[00:00:13]Now, hikers are returning to one of the most iconic hikes in America, the Rim to Rim.

[00:00:21]The Rim to Rim hike takes hikers from one side of the Grand Canyon to the other. A trek of more than 20 miles with thousands of feet of elevation change.

[00:00:29]The route draws backpackers, hikers, and endurance runners. Some camping below the rim overnight, others attempting the crossing in a single day. As hikers descend into the canyon, temperatures can rise 20 to 30° hotter than at the rim. Combined with steep elevation changes, the crossing can push hikers to their limits.

[00:00:46]>> One, two, three. Desert News says good morning from the North Rim.

[00:00:51]>> [laughter] >> Right here, and this morning it's the opening for a whole season.

[00:00:57]And it's cold.

[00:00:59]Morning, guys. You want to be in the media.

[00:01:04]Washington? Wow! Washington State.

[00:01:08]>> Yeah.

[00:01:09]There were areas that were damaged, infrastructure that was lost, but what you also see here is a lot of areas that were untouched and even new growth that is restarting. For the time being, you know, it's a patchwork mosaic of impact in terms of the losses from the Dragon Bravo fire.

[00:01:28]The fire destroyed the famous Grand Canyon Lodge >> [music] >> and damaged critical infrastructure like water and waste water systems.

[00:01:34]Many employees lost their homes in the fire >> [music] >> and damaged infrastructure continues to complicate operations at the North Rim.

[00:01:41]After 10 months, we still haven't seen any disaster funding for the necessary recovery for the park, and so we're really focused on working with Congress to get funding for the short and long-term rebuild that's needed for the park. If you think about Grand Canyon National Park and the staff here, they are currently doing their regular jobs and all the additional work of restoring the park after a fire.

[00:02:03]Even though I have headphones on stuff, I don't listen to a lot of stuff. I I do listen to a lot of stuff, but it's just really just my heart beating, breathing hard.

[00:02:14]Um it's a struggle to climb.

[00:02:17]Even on a good day like this. Yeah.

[00:02:20]So I've done some hard things.

[00:02:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. Um but for me this is the most challenging. Yeah.

[00:02:25]>> Because you don't have aid stations.

[00:02:28]>> [laughter] >> Right.

[00:02:29]>> have family all lined up cheering you on and stuff. It's it's you and the trail.

[00:02:34]You and the canyon.

[00:02:36]And uh Yeah, I talk about it sanctuary because it makes me feel um so small.

[00:02:49]I was expecting kind of more total devastation.

[00:02:54]Um but it's it's not I mean all the greenery is still still here. There's still big ponderosa trees standing. That makes my heart feel good that it's not totally gone.

[00:03:07]Fire is a natural part of this landscape. Being on the Kaibab Plateau, um we are in a fire adapted landscape.

[00:03:15][music] So fire is a very healthy thing for the landscape. This opportunity that's ahead of us is really trying to reimagine of if the park [music] can actually have an extended season also on the North Rim. And actually building infrastructure and utilities that support potentially year-round visitors to the North Rim.

[00:03:38]Whether you're religious, you believe in God or any of that, um doesn't matter. I mean you could be total uh atheist. And it's just out here you just feel that you feel something.

[00:03:49]You feel some kind of connection.