By admin 
GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM (AZFamily) — 10 months ago, the Dragon Bravo Fire ravaged the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, destroying 103 buildings, including the historic lodge. The park closed at the height of its season. Now it’s preparing to reopen to the public for the first time since the fire.
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In the early hours of July 13, the Dragon Bravo Fire turned from a managed lightning fire to an out-of-control blaze that tore through the North Rim. It burned almost 150,000 acres and forced hundreds of employees to evacuate.
Ethan Aumack grew up visiting the rim. Today, he’s the executive director of the Grand Canyon Trust, a park nonprofit.
He saw firsthand the impact of the Dragon Bravo Fire.
“Well, we had a lot of friends and colleagues, peers, partners that were directly affected by the fire,” Aumack said. “We will not in our lifetime see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as it was.”
The part of the park where the lodge burned down is closed to visitors, but the park has cleared burned trees and prepared other areas for reopening.
“In the last two months it’s been all cylinders on go,” Joelle Baird, park public information officer, said.
Baird said there’s been a lot of work since the fire, and she is excited to have people back.
“People have a lot of core memories that were formed here on the North Rim,” Baird said. “We are really welcoming people back and to have new experiences and create new memories.”
However, Aumack said there’s a lot of funding and work is still needed. So the Grand Canyon Trust is working to get funding at the federal level to help rebuild.
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“They need to work together faster, take more significant steps to bring public dollars to the rebuilding of the Grand Canyon,” Aumack said.
Up the road is Jacob Lake Inn, the last stop for travelers before the national park about 40 miles away.
Melinda Rich Marshall is a member of the family that has owned the business for 103 years. She said last year was hard as tourism and revenue dipped.
“I think really the main mentality we had was survive,” Marshall said.
However, they’re hopeful the North Rim reopening will be successful for the park and the business.
“We’re hopeful because that’s the best way to live,” Marshall said. “I think that’s what let my family be here for 103 years, is that again, things happen and you just have to learn how to push through. You gotta have some grit.”
The North Rim officially opens at 6 a.m. Friday for visitors here and rim-to-rim hikers. You can find out more about what’s open and what’s not on the park’s website here.
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