Grand Canyon Hotels Along South Rim Shutting Down

Tourists dreaming of a stay on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon will have to put those plans on hold for the foreseeable future. All hotels on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will close indefinitely to overnight guests starting on Saturday, reports SFGate. The affected properties include El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Yavapai Lodge, and Trailer Village.

The decision comes after the Dragon Bravo Fire on the park's North Rim destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and more than 100 other structures in July. The closures are due to water supply problems, with park officials citing multiple breaks in the 12.5-mile Transcanyon Waterline, which delivers water to the South Rim. "Since mid-November, the park has faced challenges with water supply, and currently, no water is being pumped to the South Rim," said the National Park Service in a statement.

The pipeline, originally installed in the 1960s, has "exceeded its expected lifespan" and is prone to "frequent failures." Repairs are costly and ongoing, but a $208 million project to rehabilitate the system began in 2023. The National Park Service says the goal is to ensure a reliable water supply for the park's 5 million annual visitors and the 2,500 people who live there all year.

Per the Arizona Republic, the park itself will remain open, as will hotels in the nearby Arizona town of Tusayan, the Grand Canyon's postal office and clinic, and all food and beverage service at the South Rim. The infrastructure upgrade is scheduled for completion in 2027, per SFGate. As for when the hotels might reopen, that remains uncertain. Park officials say they'll resume operations "as quickly as possible."