Grand Canyon to reopen hotels on the South Rim after water pipeline repair

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PHOENIX (AP) — Hotels and lodges will welcome back visitors to the Grand Canyon's South Rim after the national park halted overnight stays for more than a week because of multiple breaks in a water pipeline, the park said Monday.

Starting Wednesday, visitors can stay overnight at El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village. Some campground water spigots will remain off, and fire restrictions at the South Rim will continue.

The park first took steps to conserve water earlier this month by pausing overnight stays to repair breaks in the decades-old pipeline that delivers water to visitors, residents and staff. Most Grand Canyon visitors spend their time at the South Rim, with about 41,000 of them using overnight lodging last December.

It's the second time the park has halted overnight stays as it repairs the park's primary pipeline that frequently breaks. Last August, park officials took unprecedented action and imposed water restrictions that forced the sudden shutdown of overnight hotel stays during one of the busiest times of the year.

Maintenance of the 12.5-mile-long (20-kilometer-long) Transcanyon Waterline has long been a priority for the park. The park is in the midst of a $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system, which began in 2023.

Park officials still are encouraging visitors and residents to take shorter showers, wash only full loads of laundry and turn off the faucet when brushing teeth. Hikers should bring or treat water if needed, park officials said.