By admin 
GRAND CANYON, AZ (AZFamily) — Water services may not return to the Grand Canyon until Thanksgiving after deadly flash flooding last month destroyed the park’s main water line.
Read more Opening statements begin in trial of Tucson doctor accused of sexual abuse
Until repairs are complete, water conservation remains crucial, and hotels inside the park remain closed. The closures are having a ripple effect on businesses that rely on Grand Canyon tourism.
Tourism numbers decline
The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s seven natural wonders and brings in millions of tourists every year.
“It was breathtaking. It was something unexplainable,” said Flora Dewey, a tourist visiting from Reno.
The Grand Canyon has seen a decline in visitation numbers over the last year and likely this year as well. In 2024, 4.9 million people visited the canyon, nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels. The park recorded 4.4 million visitors in 2025. Experts point to the Dragon Bravo Fire and this year’s flooding as factors scaring visitors away.
Businesses report their hardest year
“It literally stopped everybody,” said Stoney Ward, general manager at Buck Wild Hummer Tours. “We had cancellations. Restaurants had nobody coming in.”
Ward said last year hit the business hard, and while they expected this year to be better, it has not been.
“This has been our slowest year ever, since we were open,” he said.
Ward said travelers are listening to misinformation about the flooding causing the park to close, which it is not, and what the water restrictions actually mean. He said his tour company will have to make hard decisions soon.
Read more St. Jude Dream Home opens as Arizona family shares how donations helped daughter beat cancer
“We’re all figuring out how to survive. Laying people off possibly,” Ward said. “So it was devastating, it was truly devastating.”
Water could return by Thanksgiving
Park officials announced on Saturday they could begin pumping water from the Bright Angel Creek intake to a new water treatment plant by Nov. 16. Water could reach residents and hotels by Thanksgiving.
Dewey said the water restrictions did not impact her trip at all.
“Packed our own water, stopped at the stores, made sure we had enough,” Dewey said.
Ward said the canyon is always open and businesses could use visitors’ support.
“It’s probably one of the best times in the world because you know the crowds are a little bit less right now,” he said. “Making people understand that we are open at the South Rim.”
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Read more FBI investigating after hackers claim to have stolen thousands of federal agents’ data