A powerful flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon, killing at least one person and leaving 15 others missing or unaccounted for as rescue teams continued air evacuations into Sunday night, with the park’s sole water pipeline completely destroyed and overnight stays suspended until further notice.
The flood struck Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time on August 29, sweeping large boulders, metal structures and other debris into the Colorado River and destroying nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek. The National Park Service recovered one body from the river, while at least 15 people remained unaccounted for as of Sunday evening.
More than 60 people were evacuated by helicopter from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail, according to the National Park Service. Evacuees were transported to Maswik Lodge on the South Rim, where the American Red Cross coordinated emergency assistance and provided food and shelter to those displaced by the flooding. The park service said no injuries were immediately reported among those evacuated, though the search for missing persons continued with help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and park investigative teams throughout the night.
Survivors Describe Terrifying Escape
Erica Viola, who was camping at Bright Angel Campground when the downpour began, said she and about 50 other hikers watched the creek rise rapidly before debris started flowing past, including what appeared to be a bunkhouse, barbecue grills, ice chests and even an excavator. The group was told by park rangers to run as fast as they could to the nearest bridge for evacuation. They were eventually airlifted by helicopter, ending their adventure two days early. Viola said she lost most of her belongings in the flooding.
Parth Desai, a physician hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow doctors and a park ranger, described the moment the storm hit. We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere, he said. When a four-foot debris wall headed toward them, a colleague shouted for everyone to climb up into a patch of cacti. They were rescued by helicopter hours later after making their way to the Phantom Ranch area.
Another survivor at Phantom Ranch described a stampede of roughly 40 people running through deep, muddy water toward the nearest bridge. Once they reached the bridge, a 15-foot wall of water surged through the campground and wiped out all the bridges spanning the creek, trapping anyone who had not yet crossed to safety.
Water Pipeline Destroyed, Lodges Closed
The flood destroyed the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and year-round residents at the national park. Starting Monday, overnight stays at lodges and hotels within Grand Canyon National Park were suspended indefinitely. The park also asked year-round residents to conserve water, with only campground bathroom faucets still operational for the time being.
Popular tourist sites including Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the trailhead to Phantom Ranch remained closed. The Black Bridge and Silver Bridge crossings over the Colorado River were also closed with no estimated reopening date for any of the affected areas in the inner canyon.
The Colorado River was closed to all rafting traffic due to metal structures and debris floating in the water. River parties already in the canyon were receiving direction through river operations rangers and the Grand Canyon River Alert system. Visitors with upcoming rafting trips were told to contact their commercial outfitter or the NPS River Permits office for trip-specific information.
Search Continues as More Storms Threaten
The National Park Service asked anyone with information about hikers or backpackers in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, as well as anyone with campground reservations in the affected area, to contact the Investigative Services Branch. The agency was coordinating with the Arizona Department of Public Safety on continued air evacuations from Cottonwood Campground and other affected areas deeper in the inner canyon.
The flood was triggered when roughly half an inch to one inch of rain fell within about 30 minutes in the rocky, steep-elevation terrain on the north side of the Grand Canyon, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Johndrow in Flagstaff. Most of it ran off instantly, he said. The Bright Angel Creek drops approximately 6,000 feet from the North Rim to the Colorado River, making the area extremely vulnerable to rapid flash flooding during Arizona monsoon season.
Forecasters warned of additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall through Monday, raising the risk of further flash flooding, debris flows and rockfall across the canyon. Park officials said they were continuing to assess damage to trails, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure throughout the inner canyon.
This is a reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape Grand Canyon is.
The flash flood event underscores the dangers of monsoon season in the American Southwest, where intense but brief rainfall events can produce catastrophic flooding in narrow canyons with little to no warning for hikers and campers below. Grand Canyon National Park, which attracts roughly six million visitors annually, has experienced several deadly flash floods in recent years, though the scale of infrastructure damage from this event appears particularly severe and could affect park access for months to come.
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