Grand Canyon Flash Flooding 2026 | A Message From Desert Hiking Company
September 3, 2026
Grand Canyon has always reminded us that it is a wild, powerful, and constantly changing place.
This week, that reality has hit especially hard.
On August 29, 2026, a devastating flash flood swept through Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area of Grand Canyon National Park. The flooding caused extensive damage to trails and infrastructure in one of the most traveled—and most beloved—areas of the inner canyon. Tragically, the National Park Service has confirmed that two hikers lost their lives in the flood.
I was away hiking in Glacier National Park when news of the flooding began reaching me. Coming home and seeing the extent of what happened—to places we know so intimately and, most importantly, to the people who were there—has been incredibly difficult.
Grand Canyon Is More Than Where We Work
For The Desert Hiking Company, Grand Canyon isn’t simply a place where we operate hiking trips.
It’s our home.
These are trails we’ve walked hundreds of times. We’ve spent countless days and nights below the rim, watched the seasons change along these creeks, guided people through these corridors, and introduced visitors from around the world to a landscape that has profoundly shaped our lives.
Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch are particularly special places.
Thousands of hikers pass through this corridor every year on journeys to the bottom of Grand Canyon, Rim-to-Rim hikes, backpacking trips, and adventures that often become some of the most meaningful experiences of their lives.
Knowing that people lost their lives while experiencing this place is heartbreaking.
Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones, with those still awaiting answers, and with everyone who experienced the flood firsthand.
We are also deeply grateful for the Grand Canyon National Park rangers, search and rescue teams, helicopter crews, first responders, and everyone who worked through extraordinarily difficult conditions to bring people to safety.
Significant Damage to Bright Angel Canyon
The flooding has dramatically affected the Bright Angel Canyon corridor.
As of this writing, the National Park Service has closed Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the entire North Kaibab Trail, and both the Black and Silver bridges across the Colorado River. The Park Service currently lists no estimated reopening date for these areas.
However, it is important for visitors to understand that Grand Canyon National Park itself is not entirely closed.
Several major South Rim backcountry trails remain accessible. The National Park Service currently lists the Bright Angel Trail as open from the South Rim to River Resthouse, the South Kaibab Trail as open to the Black Bridge area, and portions of the Tonto and River trails as open. Conditions and closures can change quickly, however, and hikers should check directly with the National Park Service before entering the backcountry.
Current Grand Canyon hiking conditions and closures — National Park Service
What This Means for Our Guided Trips
Some Grand Canyon itineraries—particularly Rim-to-Rim trips and routes traveling through Phantom Ranch or the North Kaibab Trail—will obviously be affected by these closures.
We will adapt.
The Desert Hiking Company will work directly with guests whose upcoming trips may need to be modified, rerouted, postponed, or otherwise reconsidered as the National Park Service assesses the damage and determines what areas can safely reopen.
But right now, those logistical concerns feel secondary to the loss experienced by the people involved.
There will be time to figure out itineraries.
There will be time to rebuild trails.
There will be time to return.
A Landscape That Demands Respect
Those of us who spend our lives in Grand Canyon develop an enormous respect for what this landscape is capable of.
Temperatures at the rim and river can be dramatically different. Storms that seem distant can send water through narrow drainages. Trails change. Rocks fall. Water sources disappear. And during monsoon season, an otherwise quiet canyon can become dangerous remarkably quickly.
That isn’t something to fear—but it is something we must respect.
Grand Canyon is not an amusement park. Its wildness is part of what makes traveling through it such a profound experience.
Events like this are a painful reminder that none of us—no matter how many years we’ve spent here—are bigger than this landscape.
Our Hearts Are With the Grand Canyon Community
Grand Canyon has endured an extraordinary period of change over the past several years. Trails and infrastructure have been damaged, the North Rim suffered tremendous losses during the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire, and now another part of this landscape faces a long recovery. The National Park Service reports that the 2025 fire destroyed approximately 70 structures on the North Rim, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and Visitor Center.
And yet this community continues to show what it means to care for this place and for one another.
To the rangers and rescuers responding to this disaster, thank you.
To our fellow guides and outfitters navigating this alongside us, we’re with you.
And most importantly, to the families and friends of those whose lives were lost, our hearts are with you.
We will continue to walk these trails, care for this landscape, introduce people to Grand Canyon responsibly, and adapt as the Canyon inevitably changes.
But for now, we mourn.
— Louis Herron
The Desert Hiking Company
