December 4, 2025 / 5:32 AM EST / CBS/AP
Plans to stay and soak in the wintry South Rim must wait. Overnight lodging at the park’s oldest hotel and its lodges is closed beginning Saturday after multiple breaks in the park’s only water line. With no water being pumped to the South Rim, officials say limited supplies must be conserved.
This is only the second time overnight stays have been halted for water supply problems, though the Transcanyon Waterline has had frequent failures as it long exceeded its expected life span. In August 2024, park leaders imposed unprecedented water restrictions that forced an abrupt shutdown of overnight hotel stays during one of the busiest periods of the year.
The closures come months after a wildfire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim. Under the current restrictions, El Tovar Hotel, Bright Angel Lodge and Maswik Lodge are closed to overnight guests, and campgrounds have no water. Park staff and the roughly 2,500 year-round residents of Grand Canyon Village are limiting showers, reducing toilet flushing and turning off faucets when shaving or brushing teeth.
Park officials hope the outage will be brief. “If all planned work proceeds without additional issues, we anticipate being able to restore water service and begin reopening overnight lodging as early as next week,” park spokesperson Joëlle Baird said. Welding repairs were underway despite fresh snowfall, and crews planned to flush and recharge the system in the coming days.
Day visitors are still welcome, and lodging is available outside the park.
While winter is slower, more than 41,000 people used overnight lodging in the park last December. The Grand Canyon had nearly 5 million visitors in 2024, with about 90% at the South Rim.
The 12.5-mile Transcanyon Waterline is the primary water source for residents, staff and visitors. Built in the late 1960s, it has been a long-term maintenance priority; a portion of entrance fees is set aside for its upkeep. A $208 million rehabilitation and related upgrades began in 2023, and the National Park Service says the project is critical to meeting the park’s needs. The overhaul is expected to be completed in 2027.