Grand Canyon flash floods leave 2 dead, about 15 missing, park officials say
Two deaths have been confirmed and some 15 people were believed to be missing Monday morning in Grand Canyon National Park after parts of the canyon were hit by major flash floods over the weekend. The raging waters swept boulders, infrastructure and other debris into the Colorado River after a storm dropped a huge amount of precipitation in a very short period of time, officials said.
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids on the Colorado River, the National Park Service said, without providing any additional information. On Monday, the park service said a second body had been recovered.
The NPS called for anyone who knew of hikers or backpackers who were in Bright Angel Canyon or the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday afternoon, when the flash floods hit, to provide information to park authorities.
"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," NPS said in a statement.
Authorities were also searching for anyone who may have been on the North Kaibab Trail, between the trailhead and Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as "the Box," north of Phantom Ranch.
Park officials told CBS News overnight that at least 15 people were still missing, though a spokesperson stressed earlier that the figure was subject to change as more information became available.
Dozens evacuated amid "extensive damage" to infrastructure
At least 62 people were evacuated from the hard-hit areas in the sprawling national park after the flooding caused significant damage, officials said.
"Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating pedestrian access across the creek," NPS said in an earlier statement.
Officials said Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch Canteen, the North Kaibab Trail, the Black and Silver bridges and traffic to the Colorado River in the area would be closed until further notice.
About half an inch to an inch of rain fell within just half an hour in the rocky area, where there's a steep drop in elevation, said National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Johndrow in Flagstaff.
"Most of it ran off instantly," Johndrow told The Associated Press.
The National Park Service said the flooding caused "extensive damage to infrastructure in the inner canyon, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon for use in the park."
"The waterline is currently not operational, leaving the park with limited water reserves and requiring significant water conservation measures to ensure available supplies can be maintained," NPS said. On Monday it reported that about 40% of the waterlne has been destroyed.
Phantom Ranch is a historic and extremely popular lodge close to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by Bright Angel Creek.
Park officials asked people to stay away from the closed areas and said the operator of the lodge, which is usually fully booked months in advance, will inform guests about the state of their reservations.
Grand Canyon National Park is ranked the fourth-most visited national park in the U.S., with 4,430,653 recreational visits in 2025.
Lucky escapes: "It would have been game over"
Gabe Bergemann was with his family at Phantom Ranch when he said what looked "like a whole monsoon basically hit the campground in the cabins area."
They were among about 60 people told to flee from their cabins and across a footbridge as the water rose.
"It was just like these brown, almost like black waters, filled with debris," he told CBS News. "On that bridge, that was when it hit … I actually became scared and I didn't know — I didn't know it was gonna happen."
David Gregory was traveling with Bergemann's family and said the flood destroyed the footbridge only about 10 minutes after they all managed to get across. Hours later they were flown to safety by a helicopter.
If the park ranger hadn't ordered everybody to evacuate when they did, Gregory said all the campers could have been left trapped on the other side of the swollen creek.
"It was like a whirlpool in there, with all the debris circling around, cabins and other equipment from the maintenance work site," he said. "I don't think we would have made it out alive … I think it would have been game over."
Grand Canyon weather forecast: "Raging killer currents"
Officials also warned that additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible Sunday and Monday, which could "result in additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and rapidly changing trail and river conditions."
"This is a reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape [the] Grand Canyon is," Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, told AP.
A flood watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for all of northern and central Arizona through Monday evening, NWS Flagstaff said.
"Flash flooding will be possible in creeks, normally dry washes, swimming holes, and over recently burned areas," the NWS alert said. "Raging killer currents will be possible in side canyons and narrow slot canyons. Low-water crossings may be flooded."
Showers and thunderstorms are also expected through Monday. The area's already-saturated soils and "deep monsoonal moisture" increase the risk of flash flooding, according to forecasters.
The monsoon, or rainy season, can make the Grand Canyon a dangerous place to visit in the summer, as it increases the risks of flash flooding. Even clear days can suddenly produce thunderstorms and downpours.
There were three initial waves of rain that "primed the drainages and already had creeks flowing at minor levels" when the deadly fourth wave arrived, the weather service said in a statement.
Forecasters were also concerned about additional flash flooding from rain that fell on part of the Dragon Bravo fire scar, a huge burn area caused by a wildfire in July 2025.
