What to do if your vacation is affected by the Grand Canyon South Rim hotel closure

Grand Canyon National Park announced it will temporarily halt overnight stays on the South Rim (affecting El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge and Maswik Lodge, as well as Phantom Ranch, Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village) due to four breaks in the line flotation of the Transcanyon, the South Rim’s primary water source.

If this news affects your travel plans, you’re not alone. “During our family’s April vacation, we were about two miles from the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab Trail to spend the night at Phantom Ranch when I got cell reception on the trail,” recalls Josh Roberts, editorial director of FamilyVacationist. “I checked my email and saw a message that due to a broken water main there would be no running water at Phantom Ranch. We had no choice but to turn back, as without water it would have been extremely dangerous to enter and exit the canyon.

When Roberts and his family reached the South Shore again, they quickly pivoted. “I had seen a photo of the Grand Canyon West Rim Skywalk a few years earlier and always thought it would be fun to do. We had nowhere to go and our overnight plans inside the canyon were canceled, so we figured why not? I booked the last available cabin at the Grand Canyon Western Ranch, an old-fashioned ranch with a singing cowboy not far from the West Rim. We spent the last two days of our vacation doing something completely different than what we had planned and it ended up being the highlight of the entire vacation.”

Here are some other alternatives if your plans on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have been affected by water supply issues.

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Here’s what’s affected

Until the issues with the Transcanyon Waterline are resolved, the hotels listed above (all hotels inside the park on the South Rim) are not allowing overnight guests. In campgrounds, “dry camping” is permitted, meaning all faucets except the one at the Mather Campground check-in kiosk are turned off. However, the campsite toilet taps will remain open. Around the South Rim, campfires and barbecues are not permitted.

Here’s what’s not affected

The park and South Rim area are still open for day use. So if you manage to find alternative accommodation, you can still experience the Grand Canyon, just by driving a little more to and from the park.

Here’s where you can stay: Just outside the park, there are a ton of accommodations, although many options are already booked or book up quickly (so if you want to pivot, you’ll need to move quickly and be flexible ) . Tusayan is what’s known as a “gateway town” about seven miles from the Grand Canyon Village of the South Rim. Further away are the towns of Cameron (30 miles), Tuba City (50 miles), and Flagstaff (75 miles).

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On the North Rim (nearly a four-hour drive from the South Rim), the Grand Canyon Lodge and North Rim Campground are both open (the campground closes for the season on October 15). And the West Rim Skywalk, where you can cross the canyon on a cantilevered glass bridge, is about four hours from the South Rim (but if you’re not staying on the South Rim anymore, it might still be closer).

Alternatives to the Grand Canyon

Nothing quite matches the size and spectacle of the Grand Canyon, but Arizona has no shortage of incredible places to visit, and if your trip to the Grand Canyon just isn’t happening due to the shutdown, it’s worth it. It’s hard to think of other places you could visit. visit instead. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:

• Ancient ruins of Native American sites: Visit Arizona has a long list of suggestions. On a recent trip, my family stopped at the Montezuma Castle Monument, which is an easy stop on the way to the Grand Canyon from Phoenix and is an incredible way to see the cliff dwellings.
• Other cool canyons: The Little Colorado Canyon is close to the Grand Canyon and although it is smaller than the Grand Canyon, it is still quite impressive.
• Navajo and Hopi Lands: Check out our article on visiting Navajo National Monument and surrounding Navajo and Hopi lands with kids.

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