Park Staff Warned Against Reopening Grand Canyon Trail

Warnings from on-the-ground staff at Grand Canyon National Park collided with political and economic pressure months before August's deadly flash flood on the North Kaibab Trail, current and former officials say. Multiple park experts have urged that the fire-scarred trail stay shut for at least a year after the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire, citing unstable slopes, debris, and a sharply higher risk of runoff and rockfall, the Washington Post reports. "It was quite evident that the political pressure was going to win," said Robert Parrish, then a senior planning official at the park. Instead, after internal debate and a Washington-level review ordered by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the trail reopened in March and the full North Rim followed in May, ahead of peak season.

Interior officials said the decision came only after assessments and repairs made the route "as safe as reasonably possible" and stress that the policy shift centralizing closure decisions doesn't require unsafe areas to stay open. Still, the August flash flood killed at least two hikers, with one still missing, and forced some 80 rescues. The episode highlights a growing tension: communities pushing to quickly restore access and tourism dollars as fires and extreme weather make iconic landscapes more volatile—and harder to manage safely. Carrie Smith posted Wednesday that rescue teams were preparing to move large debris at the bottom of the canyon in an effort to find her husband, Timothy, per People.