Grand Canyon Flash Floods: 15 Hikers Missing as Infrastructure Destroyed

Evacuations and Rescue Operations at Phantom Ranch

The flash flood hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch corridor at about 2:30 p.m. local time on August 29, catching visitors off guard. Nikki Baggs, a 41-year-old visitor who was airlifted out of the canyon, told the BBC that the weather turned rapidly. “The whole thing was terrifying,” Baggs said, adding that people were screaming and running after she and her friends had just dropped off their belongings at a cabin in Phantom Ranch.

Baggs and her companions fled toward higher ground, sitting at a picnic table before park rangers directed them to another ledge. They waited for hours until they were evacuated at approximately 21:30 local time. The National Park Service initially reported that more than 20 people were unaccounted for before revising the estimate down to roughly 15.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety assisted with the airlift operations, transporting evacuees to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim. The American Red Cross coordinated assistance at the staging area, and park officials confirmed that no injuries had been reported as of August 30.

Infrastructure Damage and Facility Closures

The flooding caused extensive damage to park infrastructure throughout the canyon. According to a National Park Service news release, nearly all footbridges crossing Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, cutting off safe pedestrian crossings.

Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entirety of the North Kaibab Trail from the trailhead to Phantom Ranch are closed until further notice. Additionally, the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge crossing the Colorado River were shut down.

Search Efforts and Next Steps

Park officials are urging the public to provide information regarding anyone who was traveling or staying in the inner canyon on August 29. The National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch is collecting details on individuals who had campground reservations at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground, or who were traveling the North Kaibab Trail or “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch.

Anyone with information regarding missing hikers can contact the tip line at 888-653-0009 or via email at [email protected]. The National Park Service warned that additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall remain in the forecast, threatening further flash flooding, debris flows, rockfalls, and changing trail conditions.