Highway 67 to the North Rim Closed for Season

Grand Canyon, AZ – Highway 67 leading to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park closed for the season this week after a winter storm brought heavy snowfall to Northern Arizona. Although facilities on the North Rim closed for the season on October 14, the highway remained open for day-use visitation. The highway traditionally closes each year after the first heavy snowfall on the North Rim. Facilities on the North Rim are scheduled to reopen May 10, 2005. Facilities on the South Rim and inner canyon remain open year-round.

The North Rim campground is still available for winter camping and is accessible via inner canyon trails from the South Rim or by cross-country skiing and snowshoeing – a 45 mile trip from Jacob Lake. To camp at the North Rim during winter months visitors must first obtain a backcountry permit, which can be obtained from the Backcountry Information Center located on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Permits may also be obtained at Pipe Spring National Monument in Fredonia, Arizona, or the Bureau of Land Management District Office in St. George, Utah. Permits from these locations must be obtained in person and several days in advance.

For additional information on winter camping on the North Rim, please call the Backcountry Information Center at (928) 638-7875, between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. weekdays, excluding holidays. For a copy of the park’s free Trip Planner please call (928) 638-7888 or write, Trip Planner, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023. The Trip Planner is also available on the Internet at www.nps.gov/grca.