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North Rim of Grand Canyon It will remain closed until June 2, the National Park Service announced this week, hammering the hatchet into each plan. between rim runners and a thru-hiker Arizona Trail.
The Grand Canyon received more than 250 inches of snow this year, about 100 inches more than usual, causing road impassability and infrastructure damage.according to news releaseThe delayed opening of the North Rim will allow park officials to prepare the area for safe passage.
“Following a season of record snow, this delayed opening is necessary to ensure safe snow removal from State Route 67 and to allow staff to reopen North Rim visitor facilities,” officials said. I am writing. The closure also includes the North Kaibab Trail to Cottonwood Campground, which was damaged by a rockfall.
North Rim opens on May 15th every year. At altitudes above 8,000 feet, it’s not uncommon for snow to linger into the summer. But this year has not been a typical one for Canyon.
Like much of the western United States, the Grand Canyon was covered in snow this year. The year with the highest snow recorded on the North Rim was 1978, when the area received 272.8 inches (almost 23 feet) of snow. This year’s snowfall was about two feet short of breaking the park’s all-time snow record. Humidity can benefit local flora and fauna, but it can also create a logistical nightmare for those who were planning to cross the rim-to-lim hike off their to-do list this year.
David Logan is the owner of Four Season Guides, which offers guided hikes in the park, including a 21-mile trip from rim to rim. He says he had to offer shortened itineraries to clients who booked trips during his last two weeks in May.
“If you come from the north, there’s no way to get to the trailhead,” he says. “If you’re coming from the south, the trail is closed at Cottonwood He Campground. You can’t go any further, so there’s no rim-to-he rim. Whether you’re running or hiking, it doesn’t matter.” “
Logan warned that a delayed start date could mean hikers were trekking in potentially dangerous triple-digit temperatures, and rockslides and other damage caused the park to close down trails. I will be quick to point out that it is not even clear if the section can be resumed. Early June. As a result, he’s discouraging hikers from attempting rim-to-rim trips this spring.
“It’s always hot in June, but the temperatures in recent years have exceeded what we’re used to,” says Logan. can do it, but it’s not particularly fun. You’re up in the dark and trying to get it done by 10am.”
The closures can also disrupt thru-hikers on the Arizona Trail. The 800-mile Arizona Trail stretches from Mexico to the Utah border. Hikers typically begin their journey in March and finish the trail in late May or early June. However, with the northern terminus not being accessible until June at the earliest this year, many hikers are looking for alternatives.
Northbound hikers who want to be as close to the terminus as possible can finish the hike at the Grand Canyon’s Cottonwood Campground on Passage 38, 83.9 miles from the north terminus. However, campgrounds are usually full throughout the season, so visitors should seek alternative accommodation. Those interested in bypassing the Grand Canyon entirely can follow the Bikepacking Western Wildlands Route, which starts just south of Tusayan and heads east toward Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, then north. increase.
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