The gate at the entrance to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30 a.m. to mark the official opening of the North Rim for the 2019 season. Grand Canyon Lodge and Grand Canyon Trail Rides will also commence their 2019 seasonal operations. Other businesses on the Kaibab Plateau, from Jacob Lake to the park boundary, are expected to be open by May 15.

A snowier than average winter, so far, has left much of the Colorado Plateau surrounding the Grand Canyon snow covered. This photo taken from the International Space Station on December 28, 2018 shows the eastern half of the Canyon, looking east. The Kaibab Plateau and the North Rim are to the left, and the Coconino Plateau to the right. Much more snow has fallen since then, including one of the coldest storms seen in decades, which left the canyon itself snow-covered nearly to it's bottom at the Colorado River.

Grand Canyon National Park and Grand Canyon Conservancy invite the public and park partners to join National Park Service staff in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Grand Canyon’s designation as a national park. To celebrate this significant milestone, Grand Canyon National Park will waive entrance fees for visitors coming to the park on February 26.

Following the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at Grand Canyon National Park will resume regular operations this week, including opening visitor centers, offering ranger programs, opening permit offices, and collecting fees at entrance stations. Please visit http://www.nps.gov/grca for updated information about the park. Visitors should know that not all park functions, such as ranger programs, will be available immediately.

During the partial shutdown of the federal government due to the lapse of appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible while still following all applicable laws and procedures. Park roads, lookouts, and trails at Grand Canyon National Park will remain accessible to visitors. Visitor services provided by park concessioners and other entities will also remain open and operational, including lodging, restaurants and food service, grocery stores, retail locations, bicycle rental, concessioner provided tours, and park shuttle operations.

Arizona 67 from Jacob Lake to the North Rim is closed for the winter. All facilities at North Rim Village are also closed for the winter.

Fire managers are reporting that the Obi Fire has now consumed nearly all of the fuels located in the containment area on the Walhalla Plateau. Fire behavior was observed as creeping with continued smoke production. The final acreage reported for the fire is 11,532. There have been no injuries to firefighters or public reported at this time which achieves our first and highest goal in wildfire management.

Grand Canyon National Park has implemented new temporary closures for public and firefighter safety. These include the Swamp Ridge Road, the North Bass Trail, and the Powell Plateau Trail. Fire Point, the Nankoweap Trail, and the Point Imperial Trail remain closed.

Grand Canyon National Park has temporarily closed Cape Royal Road. Included in this closure are Cape Final Trail, Cliff Spring Trail, the northern section of the Ken Patrick Trail from Point Imperial to Cape Royal Road, and the southern section of the Ken Patrick Trail from Cape Royal Road to the old Bright Angel Trail.

These closures are for public and firefighter safety as crews continue to prep the Walhalla Plateau. The temporary closure is in effect until further notice. The road to Point Imperial and all other North Rim trails and facilities are open at this time.

Grand Canyon National Park will implement closures of the Cape Royal Road, Cape Final Trail, and Cliff Spring Trail tomorrow August 4th, 2018 at 9:00 pm. This closure is for public and firefighter safety as crews continue to prep the Walhalla Plateau. Park visitors currently planning on driving along Cape Royal Road or hiking at Cape Final or Cliff Spring are required to be out of the area by 9:00 pm. tomorrow. The temporary closure is in effect until further notice. The road to Point Imperial and all other North Rim trails and facilities are open at this time.