Grand Canyon Flash Flood: How to Help Account for Missing Hikers
TL;DR: The National Park Service is asking the public for information about approximately 15 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for after an August 29 flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area.
The request for help was issued in a National Park Service news release dated August 30, 2026, according to the release titled Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service). The release identifies the flood location as Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area and identifies the flood date as August 29. The release states that Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area.
For backcountry travelers, the immediate readiness point is direct: if you know anyone who was in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or anyone who held a campground reservation in the affected corridor, the National Park Service asks that you report that information to the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch, according to that same Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release.
What happened on August 29
A significant flash-flood event occurred in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29, beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m., according to the National Park Service release titled Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service). That release was also dated August 30, 2026, and lists the Grand Canyon Office of Communications as the contact.
The flood affected Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, according to both National Park Service releases. The Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release states that the flash flood resulted in significant impacts to infrastructure throughout Bright Angel Canyon. That release states that nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek.
A photo with the closure release shows remnants of stone bridge pylons along Bright Angel Creek following a flash flood that destroyed the footbridge on August 29, credited as NPS Photo/J. Thompson, according to that Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release states that Grand Canyon National Park staff are continuing to assess damage to trails, bridges, utilities, facilities and other infrastructure.
The evening of August 30 also brought a report of a fatality connected to the flood response. At least one person is dead after flash floods overwhelmed a remote area of the Grand Canyon, according to NBC News reporting titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding. That NBC News report states that the National Park Service said in an evening update that a 46-year-old man was recovered from Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, and that the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office was at the scene.
Who the Park Service is trying to account for
The number identified in the morning public-assistance request was approximately 15 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release. The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding states that the park service earlier Sunday said 15 people were missing or unaccounted for, down from a previous estimate of 20.
The National Park Service is asking anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29 to provide information, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release. The release also asks anyone who had a campground reservation in the affected corridor to provide information to the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
The release specifically names three travel and stay patterns of interest for wilderness readiness and accountability. It states that this includes individuals who may have been traveling along the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release.
The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding similarly states that the National Park Service is asking for information about anyone who may have been hiking or backpacking along Bright Angel Creek in Arizona, as well as campers with plans to stay at Phantom Ranch or the Bright Angel Campground. That report also states that officials are trying to track down travelers who might have been stranded along the North Kaibab Trail.
How to submit information to investigators
Anyone who knows of anyone who may have been hiking or backpacking in these areas is asked to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release. The release lists the NPS ISB Tip Line as 888-653-0009 and lists Email as e-mail us.
When submitting a tip, the release asks tipsters to provide any information available about the individual, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release. The requested details are their name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when they were last known to be in the area.
The same release states that you do not have to provide your name when submitting a tip. That provision allows family members, hiking partners, shuttle drivers, lodging contacts, and other members of the public to share time-sensitive accountability information without naming themselves, according to the instruction stated in the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release.
Evacuations underway on August 30
As of the morning of August 30, 62 individuals have been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release states that additional individuals are scheduled to be evacuated on the morning of August 30 from Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch in coordination with the National Park Service and Arizona Department of Public Safety.
The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding states that as of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail, and that additional evacuations from Phantom Ranch and the Cottonwood Campground were expected.
Evacuees are being transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim, where the American Red Cross is coordinating assistance, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release states that no injuries have been reported as of the latest available information.
The coordination involves Grand Canyon National Park staff and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, according to both the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release and the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The public-assistance release describes the work as continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area.
Trail, campground, and facility closures
Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch are closed until further notice, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release states that the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge crossing the Colorado River are also closed until further notice.
There is currently no estimated reopening date for these areas and other inner canyon closures may be necessary, according to that Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release directs readers to the park’s Key Hiking Messages webpage for the latest trail and closure information.
The closures reflect the loss of creek crossings. Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding similarly states that park administrators said that footbridges along Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek, and that certain Colorado River crossings were closed while damage is assessed.
Colorado River traffic closed
The Colorado River is currently closed to river traffic until further notice due to metal structures and debris entering the river, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. That closure applies to through-travel on the river corridor affected by flood debris.
River parties already in the canyon are receiving direction through river operations rangers and the Grand Canyon River Alert system, according to that Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. Visitors with upcoming river trips should contact their commercial outfitter or NPS River Permits for trip-specific information, according to the same release.
The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding states that Colorado River traffic was shut down because of the risk of floating debris. The report also states that Phantom Ranch is accessible only by hiking, raft or mule transport.
Additional flood, debris, and rockfall risk
Additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible today and Monday, which could result in additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions, according to the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. The release presents that forecast as part of its August 30 morning update.
The NBC News report titled At least 1 dead, more than a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding states that forecasters warned that more flash flooding was possible on Monday and that the biggest threat of flash flooding on Monday is set to be just north of the Grand Canyon. That report also states that the National Weather Service warned that the threat of flash flooding in all of northern and central Arizona remained through Monday evening.
What wilderness travelers should do now
Check the park’s Key Hiking Messages webpage for the latest trail and closure information before considering travel toward the inner canyon, because the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release identifies that page as the source for latest trail and closure information. Do not plan to use Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, or the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge crossing the Colorado River, because those locations are closed until further notice with no estimated reopening date, according to that same release.
If you have an upcoming river trip, contact your commercial outfitter or NPS River Permits for trip-specific information, as directed in the Significant Flash Flooding Closes Phantom Ranch and North Kaibab Trail release. If you are already on the river in the canyon, follow direction through river operations rangers and the Grand Canyon River Alert system, according to that release.
If you can help account for someone, contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009 and provide name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when the person was last known to be in the area, according to the Public Assistance Requested to Account for Individuals Following Grand Canyon Flash Flood release. That release covers hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29 and anyone who had a campground reservation in the affected corridor, including travel along the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, stays at Bright Angel Campground, and travel or stays in the area known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch.