Grand Canyon Fires Are Still Burning, Adventure Companies Shift Trips

Parts of the Grand Canyon remain closed after wildfires tore through the park’s northern reaches earlier this month, destroying infrastructure and clouding inner canyon trails with thick smoke.

The North Rim is now closed for the remainder of 2025. It is the more remote part of the canyon, and typically brings in around 10% of the Grand Canyon’s total visitor base (about 300,000 out of over 6 million annual visitors).

The Dragon Bravo Fire, sparked by lightning on July 4, has burned more than 5,000 acres and destroyed over 70 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and the North Rim visitor lodge.

It is reported that rapidly grew due to high winds and extreme drought conditions, which has impacted much of the area, according to the National Park Service.

Meanwhile, fire crews are working to suppress the flames and protect remaining infrastructure, as well as assess damage and build containment lines.

The White Sage Fire, sparked on July 9, continues to burn in the area as well.

“Now, more than ever, national parks need our support,” said Leigh Barnes, president of the Americas at Intrepid Travel, which runs adventure tours in the region. “Wildfires are a natural part of these landscapes, but the increasing frequency and intensity of fires underscore the importance of funding conservation efforts, visiting responsibly, and standing behind the people who protect these parks.”

Intrepid said it will continue to carry out tours in unaffected areas.

Wildland Trekking, an Intrepid subsidiary, is rerouting about 30 trips for the remainder of the season and said guests will receive itinerary updates 48 hours before departure.

Despite the destruction and closures on the North Rim, the South Rim, which is more built up and sees the vast majority of park traffic, remains open, though local businesses report some confusion among visitors.

“The fire really only affected us on two days, July 14 and July 16, when the smoke was so thick in the canyon that you could not see the canyon at all,” said Christine Ward, assistant manager at Buck Wild Tours, which runs Hummer excursions in the region.

“The best thing to stress is that the South Rim is still open and in full operation. There was so much coverage of the fires that a lot of potential visitors were concerned about their trips.”

Closures remain in place for key trails and inner canyon routes due to smoke and limited emergency response access, including the North Kaibab Trail, South Kaibab Trail, Phantom Ranch, and parts of the Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Garden.

The U.S. National Park Service said that the closures are necessary to ensure public safety and to allow firefighting teams to work unimpeded.

Skift’s in-depth reporting on climate issues is made possible through the financial support of Intrepid Travel. This backing allows Skift to bring you high-quality journalism on one of the most important topics facing our planet today. Intrepid is not involved in any decisions made by Skift’s editorial team.

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