NPS Seeks Information on More Than 20 People After Grand Canyon Flash Flood
The National Park Service is asking for the public’s help accounting for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for after a significant flash-flood event in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.
Grand Canyon National Park staff are continuing evacuation and response operations with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The request is directed at people who may know hikers or backpackers who were in the affected inner-canyon corridor, as well as people who held campground reservations there.
Areas included in the NPS request
According to Grand Canyon National Park, the information request covers people who were along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29. This includes hikers and backpackers traveling on the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch.
The park is also seeking information about people staying at Bright Angel Campground and those traveling or staying in the area called “the Box,” north of Phantom Ranch. Anyone who knows someone who may have been in these locations is asked to report what they know, even if they are uncertain whether that person was affected.
- Date of flood event: August 29, 2026
- Affected locations named by the park: Bright Angel Canyon, Phantom Ranch, the Bright Angel Creek corridor, Bright Angel Campground, the North Kaibab Trail, and the Box north of Phantom Ranch
- People sought: Hikers, backpackers, and people with campground reservations in the affected corridor
How to share information with the National Park Service
The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch is collecting tips that could help responders account for people who were in the area. The agency asks tipsters to provide as much identifying and trip-related information as possible.
Helpful details may include a person’s name, approximate location, intended travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, and the last time they were known to be in the area. The NPS says tipsters do not need to provide their own names.
To submit information, call the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009. The NPS release also provides an email option for submitting tips.
Response efforts remain underway
Grand Canyon National Park said its staff and the Arizona Department of Public Safety remain engaged in evacuation and response efforts following the flash flood. The NPS public-assistance request is intended to help officials determine the status of individuals who may have been hiking, backpacking, or camping along the affected Bright Angel Creek corridor when the event occurred.
People with information about someone who was on the North Kaibab Trail, at Bright Angel Campground, around Phantom Ranch, or in the Box on August 29 should contact the NPS tip line rather than assume the person has already been accounted for.
Official source: Read the original Grand Canyon National Park news release.
For more current park information, see Grand Canyon News & Updates.
GrandCanyonVisitorCenter.com is an independent visitor-information resource and is not operated by the National Park Service.
