Grand Canyon National Park Initiates General Scoping On Section Of Grand Canyon Greenway

The National Park Service (NPS) and Grand Canyon National Park Foundation is in the initial stages of planning for a 2.3 mile section of the Grand Canyon Greenway (Greenway) - a multi-use trail system that will offer a wider range of transit options into and around the park and is integral to the park's future mass transit system. The National Park Service is soliciting comments from those who may have issues or concerns regarding the proposal before proceeding with an Environmental Assessment.

This project is one of the several trail segments that will make up the Greenway. This 2.3-mile section of trail is part of a 7-mile trail between Canyon View Information Plaza (the new orientation/transportation hub) and the future Grand Canyon Transit Center, north of Tusayan. It would be constructed in areas that have not been previously disturbed or used. The remaining 4.7-miles of trail in this segment was analyzed and covered under a Categorical Exclusion.

This trail will connect with two other segments near Canyon View Information Plaza. The three segments will total approximately 11.5 miles of trail and are within the Development Zones as designated in the park's 1995 General Management Plan. When complete, the Greenway will consist of 73 miles of trail, 28 miles on the North Rim and 45 miles on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. On the South Rim, the Greenway will eventually connect Hermits Rest at the west end of the developed area with Desert View to the east, and Tusayan to the south passing through Grand Canyon Village, including Canyon View Information Plaza.

The Greenway will be constructed in several phases. The first several phases are in areas of the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Phase I consists of a trail from Yavapai Point to the westernmost overlook on Desert View Drive. Construction of this trail is expected to begin in May 2001. Phase II consists of a trail from CVIP to Grand Canyon Village. Phase IV (this project) includes a trail from Canyon View Information Plaza to the Grand Canyon Transit Center.

Comments will be accepted for 30 days and should be sent to the Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023, Attn: Sara White, Chief Compliance Officer by close of business on April 27, 2001. For questions or additional information about the project, please contact Michael Terzich, Grand Canyon National Park Landscape Architect, at (928) 774-3402. Additional information on the Grand Canyon Greenway can also be found at www.nps.gov/grca/mgmt/.