Visitors heading to Grand Canyon National Park are being put on notice about dangerous heat conditions expected to return early next week, following a string of heat-related deaths on the park’s inner canyon trails.
The U.S. National Weather Service has placed an extreme heat watch in effect from midday Monday through Tuesday for the Grand Canyon area. At Phantom Ranch — located at the canyon’s lower elevation — temperatures could hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) or higher.
The U.S. National Park Service issued a warning this week urging hikers to stay off the trails during the hottest part of the day, calling it a “strongly advised” precaution following what officials described as a “recent influx of heat-related incidents.”
Two of those incidents turned fatal on June 16, when two hikers — ages 67 and 68 — were discovered dead on the North Kaibab Trail. The National Park Service describes that route as the most demanding of the major inner canyon trails. Officials believe both hikers succumbed to heat-related illness.
A third fatality occurred on June 12, when a 72-year-old hiker died along the South Kaibab Trail after becoming sick from the heat, according to the National Park Service.
Park and weather officials warn that the canyon’s conditions can be misleading to visitors. Temperatures along the rim are typically 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than what hikers will encounter once they reach the bottom — a difference that can catch people off guard.
“It’s just a hot place at the bottom of the Grand Canyon,” said Justin Johndrow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Flagstaff, Arizona. He noted that the region is approaching its hottest stretch of the year, with relief not expected until monsoon rains arrive later in the summer.
While hiking downhill at the start of a trail may feel manageable, the return trip involves climbing thousands of feet in elevation while facing far more intense heat. That combination can cause heat illness to set in before hikers realize it.
“That’s very strenuous even on a mild day,” Johndrow said of the climb back to the rim. “Throw in temperatures of 105 to 110 degrees and that causes some pretty bad problems.”
The dangerous heat is not limited to the Grand Canyon. Much of the western United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, experienced above-average temperatures Saturday and is bracing for even hotter weather heading into next week. Officials also cautioned that the prolonged heat and low humidity are raising wildfire risks across the region.
Roughly 90 miles south of the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona, saw residents and visitors evacuated late Friday as a wildfire burned hundreds of acres just north of the city. At least a dozen agencies responded to the blaze, according to the city’s fire department. The U.S. Forest Service ordered evacuations in the area, and approximately 30 miles of a nearby state highway was shut down in both directions.
