Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park continues response and recovery operations following the destructive August 29 flash flood that caused significant damage in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area. Park staff and partner agencies are conducting damage assessments and beginning repair and stabilization work in areas where trails, bridges, utilities and other infrastructure were damaged or destroyed. Maintaining safe access for response personnel and keeping visitors out of hazardous areas is critical as this work continues.

The National Park Service has recovered the bodies of two hikers who were caught in a destructive flash flood Aug. 29 in Bright Angel Canyon. The hikers have been identified as John Giusti, 46, and Brent Rosenkranz, 42, both of Granbury, Texas.  One member of the hiking group remains missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with teams continuing efforts to locate the missing hiker and account for anyone else who may have been in the affected area at the time of the flood. 

Grand Canyon National Park will implement Stage 4 water restrictions on the South Rim beginning at noon on August 31 in response to the significant flash flooding that occurred along Bright Angel Canyon on August 29.   The flooding caused extensive damage to infrastructure in the inner canyon, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon for use in the park.

The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for approximately 15 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash-flood event in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29. Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area.

A significant flash-flood event occurred in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29, beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m. As of the morning of August 30, 62 individuals have been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. Additional individuals are scheduled to be evacuated this morning from Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch in coordination with the National Park Service and Arizona Department of Public Safety.