Grand Lodge at the Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by fire

[Vash01]

Historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire

The Grand Canyon Lodge was about 5 1/2 hours north of metro Phoenix and was the only hotel located inside the national park on the North Rim.

www.azcentral.com

CNN article

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/13/us/grand-canyon-wildfire-lodge-destroyed

This is terrible news. This was a historic lodge (since 1929s) and the only lodge at the North rim of the Grand Canyon- a beautiful place with cabins, motel, and camping areas. I had stayed there many years ago. One could have a great view of the Grand Canyon from the restaurant. I don’t have details yet but it seems many buildings were destroyed.

The good news is that everyone was evacuated, and there were no injuries.

It sounds like after the fire started they let it burn instead of putting it out. Sounds highly suspicious. Some billionaires, including those from other countries have wanted to mine near the Grand Canyon. Conspiracy theory?

I will wait to find out more. As of now, no news on cable networks. I saw this in the local newspaper’s website. Will watch local news for further information.

The North rim almost always has fires in some areas but they never approached the lodge, which is spread over a large area. It is a very quiet place. No tv. Internet is spotty, weak, and only in the small store. It really takes you to a peaceful environment. Now it’s gone. I am very sad.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

It sounds like after the fire started they let it burn instead of putting it out. Sounds highly suspicious. Some billionaires, including those from other countries have wanted to mine near the Grand Canyon. Conspiracy theory?

No. National Park and Forest Service policy for many years now has been to let fires started by natural causes, like lightning, to burn when possible. This isn't the first time someone misjudged the risk or the weather changed unexpectedly and the fire got out of hand. Besides, the mineral deposits of interest (uranium and copper) are on the south side of the canyon.

I'm sick over the losses, too. We were camping there last month and splurged for a night at the amazing old lodge. One of those classic park buildings with huge log beams and stone walls, full of Navajo rugs and copper chandeliers. And an absolutely beautiful area. It was so serene and cool under the Ponderosa pines, with drifts of wildflowers and the adorable Kaibab squirrels, and of course the views. It's hard to believe it is all gone now.

 

[Vash01]

No. National Park and Forest Service policy for many years now has been to let fires started by natural causes, like lightning, to burn when possible. This isn't the first time someone misjudged the risk or the weather changed unexpectedly and the fire got out of hand. Besides, the mineral deposits of interest (uranium and copper) are on the south side of the canyon.

I'm sick over the losses, too. We were camping there last month and splurged for a night at the amazing old lodge. One of those classic park buildings with huge log beams and stone walls, full of Navajo rugs and copper chandeliers. And an absolutely beautiful area. It was so serene and cool under the Ponderosa pines, with drifts of wildflowers and the adorable Kaibab squirrels, and of course the views. It's hard to believe it is all gone now.

I know about the let burn policy (I used to work in the environmental agency of the state). However, if there is danger to structures they need to step in. The North Rim has fires burning in remote areas almost every summer, and it’s ok to just stay away from those, but if a historical lodge is burning, they need to protect it.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

Clearly it was a bad call not to put out the initial fire. But they absolutely tried to protect the lodge when the fire blew up. Unfortunately there was a chlorine gas leak when the water treatment plant caught fire, which meant they had to pull back the crews and couldn't air drop fire retardant.

 

[Vash01]

Guardian article

Wildfires destroy historic lodge on Grand Canyon’s North Rim, park says

Grand Canyon Lodge consumed by White Sage and Bravo Dragon fires, that have collectively burned more than 45,000 acres

www.theguardian.com

The fire was started by lightning on July 4. They allowed it to burn, as per policy, but when it spread, they tried to extinguish it but it was too late.

They had a fire in the 1920s which started in the kitchen. They rebuilt in 1932. I hope they will rebuild it the way it was, and not to build a multistory hotel. The cabins on the rim were beautiful.

It was not clear if the store survived. It was close to the gas station, which was quite far from the visitor center/restaurant ( I had to drive). It means the fire covered a very large area. It is in the north and east.

 

[Vash01]

Clearly it was a bad call not to put out the initial fire. But they absolutely tried to protect the lodge when the fire blew up. Unfortunately there was a chlorine gas leak when the water treatment plant caught fire, which meant they had to pull back the crews and couldn't air drop fire retardant.

Yes, I read about the chlorine leak. It sounds dangerous. They had to evacuate the hikers and they had to tell the people on the river to not go to Phantom ranch.

The Grand Canyon are the pride of Arizona. Anytime there is a disaster there, we feel it all over the state.

BTW the CNN article said the north rim is 5.5 hours from the Phoenix metro area. Wrong! It is almost a 7 hours drive because of the mountainous terrain.

 

[Dobre]

Oh, that's really a shame. Dad's input is to say that with log structures, it's really hard to put out fire. It looks like there is a lot more stonework in this lodge than most historic lodges I have seen; but even so, it seems to have had a log support structure.

(The article says multiple buildings on the North Rim were lost).

 

[Barbara Manatee]

(The article says multiple buildings on the North Rim were lost)

All the services at the North Rim are clustered together. The gas station/camp store/campground and lodge/cabins/visitor center were all within about a mile and half of one another. Sadly, I think it is likely they're all gone.

 

[purple skates]

So sad. I have not been to the Grand Canyon, but have stayed in the lodges in Yellowstone and Olympic. Very cool old buildings. A loss for future generations, for sure.

 

[Vash01]

Watched the local news. AZ Governor Katie Hobbs is going to request fed investigation in who made the decisions to let the fire burn in the hottest and driest conditions. AZ Senators Kelly and Gallego are asking similar questions. People here are angry and sad that a historical building that was almost 100 years old was destroyed. It could be many years before the area can recover. Those living close to the park are also affected.

The questions being asked are - do the park services have enough resources to fight the fires? Was it just a natural thing or were there any wrong decisions made?

The North Rim is now officially closed for the rest of the season, which usually ends on October 15.

The fires are still burning. As of now 50-80 buildings have been destroyed, including the visitors center, lodge, historic cabins.

The Dragon Bravo fire caused this destruction. Another fire (White Sage) along with the Dragon Bravo is still burning. They are 0 percent contained as of now.

The only good thing is that no one was injured. All were evacuated.

Each year only 10 percent of visitors to the GCNP visit the North rim, which is open only 5-5.5 months per year due to its higher elevation. People used to make reservations one year in advance. It was the only lodge at the N. Rim. I assume they will open the park next year after mid May but I don’t expect to see any buildings there.

 

[Vash01]

Not sure if this NYT article belongs here or in PI. AZ governor Katie Hobbs wants investigation into why the Grand Canyon fire was managed as Controlled burn at the height of summer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/us/arizona-grand-canyon-wildfire-controlled-burn.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Wk8.FLRc.BMOb6ZyHhdwr&smid=url-share

 

[Vash01]

While working for the county as Environmental Engineer I came across situations where the EPA rules didn’t take into account natural local conditions. For example, the particulates (PM10 and PM2.5) were same for an Arizona desert and the rest of the country. As a result, when there were strong winds, the Maricopa county (Phoenix metro anrea) often got violations for particulates. They were allowed time for corrections but how can you ‘correct’ nature? We did have ways to water the yards, roads, etc. Still some remote areas can’t have that. It was always difficult.

I am wondering if the Controlled burn decision in the case of the North Rim was based on similar assumptions? I have not read the rules recently. Summer in Arizona brings hot temperatures and very dry weather. That is why we have so many wildfires in summer. The policy to ‘let burn’ if it is a fire caused by nature may not be safe under those conditions.