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Grand Canyon Weekly Wrap-up: Feb. 20-24, 2023

by Community Contributor • February 23, 2023 • Comments Off

Key Messages-Week of Feb. 20, 2023

COVID Updates

As of February 23, Coconino County has remained at LOW CDC Community Level. Masks remain optional in all public buildings.

Total new COVID cases in Arizona for the week of February 16-22 was 26,866, compared to 3,379 cases from the week prior. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, this large increase in COVID cases includes previous weeks or months that have been reported late and not indicative of a huge spike of cases in one week. The majority of the cases reported this week were from Maricopa County and they reported 24,973 cases. The rest of the state reported 1,893, which continues to indicate a downward trend cases statewide.

As a reminder, be sure to promptly report any illness, to include possible COVID-19 symptoms, COVID exposure, or a positive COVID test to your supervisor and our Public Health Consultant, Ronan King. Ronan can be reached at: 202-891-8599 or Ronan_King@nps.gov.

Messages and Grand Canyon News

Highway 67…plowed?!

Last week, North and South Rim Road Crew staff successfully plowed 30 miles of Highway 67, from Jacob Lake to the North Rim boundary, for administrative use. A team of three including John Venn, Brandon Alberta, and John Root completed the operation over the course of one week.

The primary objective of road clearing was to provide for a diesel fuel supply for the back-up generators on the North Rim. After a series of powerful snow storms this winter that knocked out power service, this backup fuel source is critical to support the staff and continuity of operations. Additional objectives included the ability to provide emergency ingress/egress to and from the North Rim, as well as improving safety for residents by allowing administrative traffic in motor vehicles instead of snowmobiles.

Thank you to the North Rim staff who continue to weather repeated storms and impressive snow removal operations!

Cultural Demonstration Program to resume March 8 at Desert View

This weekend’s Cultural Demonstration Program is canceled due to safety concerns surrounding the current and future weather conditions. This means all cultural demonstrations at the South Rim Visitor Center lobby have concluded for the winter.

Cultural Demonstrations will begin again on March 8, 2023 and will be Tuesday – Thursday at Desert View. For more information on the schedule of the Cultural Demonstration Program, visit the park’s website here.

Shuttle bus changes beginning Wed., March 1

Starting next Wednesday, March 1, all three shuttle routes will resume for the season. This includes: the Kaibab Rim Route (Orange Route) servicing the Grand Canyon Visitor Center east to Yaki Point, the Village Route (Blue Route) servicing primary visitor facilities, and the Hermits Rest Route (Red Route) providing service from the Village along the west rim to Hermits Rest. All routes will start at 4:30 a.m. The OrangeRoute and Hermits Rest routes will run until one hour after sunset. The Blue route will run until 10 p.m.

When the Red Route shuttle service resumes, Hermit Road will again be closed to private vehicles. Between March 1 and November 30, the only access to Hermit Road is by free shuttle, commercial tour, on foot, or by bicycle.

Also beginning Tuesday, the Hikers’ Express Bus, which transports backpackers to the South Kaibab Trailhead, will leave Bright Angel Lodge beginning at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., and 9 a.m. The Hikers’ Express Bus also stops at the Backcountry Information Center and Grand Canyon Visitor Center on its way to the South Kaibab Trailhead.

The Tusayan Route (Purple Route), providing service from Tusayan to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, will not operate in the spring. It will resume service May 27 (Memorial Day weekend) and continue through September 8, 2023.

Interested in hosting an artist during GCC’s Celebration of Art?

The 2023 Celebration of Art (CoA) is approaching and the Grand Canyon Conservancy is looking for host families for the artists. Hosting an artist can be an excellent opportunity for community members to meet individuals from all over the country who appreciate the canyon as we do. This is a special opportunity GCC has not been able to offer the last few years due to COVID.

The plein air painters will need accommodations from September 8th- 18th in order to participate in the event. Artists are typically out of the home before sunrise and gone for the bulk of the day, busy painting the canyon, they may return around lunchtime and after sunset. If you have a spare bedroom and would like to volunteer to be a host, you will be rewarded with the experience of a lifetime.

More information on this opportunity can be found in this attached flyer.

Leadership Spotlight

Dave Vago—Project Manager, Historic Preservation

I grew up in Philadelphia, PA, with lots of vacations spent in New England and southwest Michigan. Being shaped by all three places made me want to work with historic things. I got my undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in industrial Archaeology from Michigan Tech. I’ve lived in 20 places in 11 states, including both coasts, north, south, and in between, and have spent most of my career working with museums and historic sites. I’ve been a frontline interpreter and program supervisor, an exhibit designer, a preservation project manager, a Main Street manager, and a nonprofit director. My subject expertise is in historic industrial sites and resources. Before coming to GRCA, I held a few seasonal NPS positions over the years, including at Blue Ridge Parkway, Fort Point, and the Historic American Engineering Record, but this is my first career position.

How long have you worked at GRCA? Where are you based out of?

I started at GRCA in December of 2021. I’m based at park headquarters, but travel to other locations periodically depending on what’s happening with my projects. Right now, I’m managing two projects on the North Rim, one at Desert View, one in the Inner Canyon, and one at the South Rim, and assisting with a few other things here and there.

What have you enjoyed the most about working and/or living at GRCA so far?

Being in a small community in a beautiful place with lots of opportunities to be outdoors is great, as is the proximity to the kinds of things I like to work with – the historic Powerhouse, the railroad, and so on. However, I’ve worked in a lot of places, some with better work cultures than others, and although there is always room for improvement, I do believe we have a management team here that is committed to making this a better, healthier, more functional place to work, and that’s invaluable.

This week, are you team winter or team spring?

I love winter, really, and I know that we need the melt, but this has been a bit much. I’m ready for cookout season to get going.

Grand Canyon Community Corner

Nothing for this week! Feel free to send community news or events for postings to:

Joelle Baird at grca_public_affairs@nps.gov.

Current Operational Hours

*Please note: new changes to operations are indicated in bold/italic

South Rim

Xanterra

Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Canyon Coffee House at the Bright Angel Fountain, 7 a.m.-11 a.m.
Bright Angel Fountain grab and go, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Fred Harvey Burger, breakfast 8-10:30 a.m., lunch 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., dinner 4-9 p.m.
Arizona Steakhouse within Bright Angel Lodge is now offering dinner service from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily. Lunch service is from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Fred Harvey Tavern, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
The Grand Canyon Rec Center, 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
El Tovar Dining Room and Lounge-Breakfast, 6:30-10 a.m., Lunch, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Dinner, 4:30-9:30 p.m., Lounge, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Patio (limited menu), 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Maswik Pizza Pub is open daily from 4-8 p.m.
The Grand Canyon Kennel is open seven days a week with hours from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily

Delaware North

Yavapai Lodge Tavern and Patio, 12-9 p.m., Yavapai Lodge Coffee Shop, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., The Yavapai Dining Hall, breakfast, 7 a.m.-10:45 a.m., dinner, 5-8 p.m.
Canyon Village Market, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Deli 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Camper Services laundry and shower, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily

Other

Grand Canyon Clinic: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (clinic is closed on holidays)
Bright Angel Bikes, Rental: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (weather permitting), Café 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Grand Canyon Visitor Center (GCVC): 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Operations indoors for the winter season.
Grand Canyon Conservancy stores regular hours: Visitor Center Plaza, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Yavapai Geology Museum, Verkamps, and Kolb Studio 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Grand Canyon Community Library: Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Canyon Closet (located behind Community Library): Mondays 4:15-6 p.m., Wednesdays 12:15-2 p.m., Saturdays 3-5 p.m.
Grand Canyon Food Pantry: Mondays 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesdays 6-8 p.m., Saturdays 2-4 p.m.

Desert View

Desert View Trading Post Coffee and Ice Cream and Market, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily
Desert View Watchtower, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
The Desert View Deli, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website for a complete list of closures and available amenities.

Photo Credits (in order of appearance)

The mules on the South Rim received a fresh blanket of snow overnight on February 21 (NPS Photo/A. Sherman)
An NPS vehicle successfully drives through Demotte meadow following plowing operations (NPS Photo/J. Venn)
The Red Route shuttle bus, as seen from Hermit Road (NPS Photo/M. Quinn)
Artist, Dawn Sutherland, on the rim of the canyon during the 2019 Celebration of Art (NPS Photo)
David Vago, Historic Preservation Project Manager (Photo courtesy of D. Vago)

Grand Canyon National Park, in northern Arizona, encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homeland of 11 Associated Tribes, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.