Grand Canyon Lodge Destroyed

Arizona, Desert Southwest, Flowers, Grand Canyon, National Parks, Night Sky, Seasons, Weather

You’ve probably heard that the Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is no longer standing. It was destroyed by a terrifying wildfire a few weeks ago along with 60 other buildings in the area. High winds made it impossible to contain the blazes.

Originally built in 1928, the lodge was destroyed by fire in 1932 and rebuilt in 1937 using some of the same stone. Hopefully the Grand Canyon Lodge can be rebuilt quickly along with the cabins that perished.

Courtesy of Google.

The North Rim is closed for the rest of the year so I won’t be able to capture more amazing images like I have over the last 15 years. It was a great place to escape along with the adjacent Kaibab National Forest from the extreme heat in Southern Utah where I reside. It would be 100 degrees in Utah but 75 degrees at GC. Here’s some memorable images from the past in and around the lodge.

From just outside the Lodge, this was my friend’s first sight of the Grand Canyon.
The power was out at the Lodge but they served us lunch anyways, inside. It snowed about 5 inches and this was one week before Memorial Day! The North Rim sets at about 8,500 feet in elevation, summer happens later. You’ll notice in this photo that you can’t even see the canyon.
A storm approaches the Lodge at sunset.

A window into the soul of the Grand Canyon from the Lodge.

Just below the lodge, someone is adventurous.
Wildflowers thrive in the summer at Kaibab National Forest adjacent to the North Rim. Hopefully, the forest will reopen this year as it also experienced wildfires.. Those fires are almost under control.
July is the time of the year to search for the many species of wildflowers at Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest.
Fall is a great time to visit as the Aspens show off their colors.
Fog lifts from the bottom of Grand Canyon National Park as seen from the North Rim.
It was an electric evening at The Lodge.
I already miss camping at The North Rim.
From the North Rim, you can photograph the monsoons approaching from the south.
These tourists probable don’t know how dangerous this perch is.

12 thoughts on “Grand Canyon Lodge Destroyed”

  1. Stunning photos, Mike. I wasn’t aware the fire resulted in so much damage and closing of the NR. Seeing 5 million people visit annually, it’s amazing there aren’t more than an average of a dozen deaths per annum. What an end, however!

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  2. All excellent images! The one of the person standing on that pillar sent my heart to my throat. When we visited the West Rim a few years back, I couldn’t bring myself to get within several feet of the edge.

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    1. People don’t realize that’s there more to the Grand Canyon besides the canyon. The forest there are so nice and healthy usually. One of my photos of the forests and meadows at North Rim is on the GC NP brochure.

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      1. Oh wow, that’s awesome!

        We just recently drove 89A and that was such a beautiful forest as well. I’m so sad that one is burned now too.

  4. Yes, I heard about the devastating fire. We visited the South Rim in 2009 but didn’t have sufficient time to see the North Rim…so thanks for your photos so I can visit it virtually. (Suzanne)

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  6. Your photos are stunning. Hopefully the forest will recover over time. I do not know why people insist on going so close to the edge. It makes me jittery just looking at them in these photos.

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