Extreme heat expected again at the Grand Canyon after 3 hikers die in heat-related incidents

The Kaibab Trail, running right to left at center, at Grand Canyon National Park on Jan. 20, 2001. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park are being warned about extreme temperatures that will hit the popular destination early next week after a recent increase in heat-related incidents in the inner canyon, including the deaths of three hikers.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch at the Grand Canyon for midday Monday through Tuesday, forecasting temperatures that could reach or exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 C) at the low-elevation Phantom Ranch.

People are “strongly advised” to avoid hiking in the middle of the day, the National Park Service said this week in a statement following a “recent influx of heat-related incidents.”

An extreme heat watch was in effect June 16 when two hikers, ages 67 and 68, were found dead on the North Kaibab Trail, which the NPS describes as the most difficult of the major inner canyon trails. The service said they appeared to have succumbed to symptoms of heat-related illness.

A third person, 72, died June 12 along the South Kaibab Trail after becoming ill from the heat, NPS said.

About 90 miles (145 kilometres) to the south, Oak Creek Canyon visitors and residents were evacuated late Friday as a wildfire burned hundreds of acres just north of Sedona.

Much of the Western U.S. from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast saw above-average temperatures Saturday and with even hotter weather anticipated for early next week. Officials also warned that the prolonged dry, hot weather and relatively low humidity increased the risk of fire danger.

Extreme heat increases risk of hiking at the Grand Canyon

Park and weather officials alike emphasize to visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving. Temperatures at the rim of the Grand Canyon are often 20 to 25 degrees cooler than what hikers will experience at the bottom.

“It’s just a hot place at the bottom of the Grand Canyon,” said Justin Johndrow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Flagstaff. Johndrow warned that the region is approaching the hottest period of the year before rain monsoon season later in the summer offers some relief.

Hikers may have cooler temperatures and an easier time going downhill to start the descending trails, but they face an intense climb of thousands of feet in elevation and much hotter bottom-of-the-canyon temperatures to get back up. Those conditions can cause heat illness symptoms to sneak up on visitors.

“That’s very strenuous even on a mild day,” Johndrow said of the hike back up to the rim. “Throw in temperatures of 105 to 110 degrees, and that causes some pretty bad problems.”

Wildfire near Oak Creek Canyon posed risk to public safety

A federal interagency team and at least a dozen local agencies were working to combat the blaze, which was burning nearly 300 acres (12 hectares) of very steep and rough terrain near Oak Creek Canyon, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer with the Southwest area complex incident management team.

The fire was concentrated in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain wilderness area about 7 miles (11 kilometres) north of Sedona, but it started to creep into the Coconino National Forest. Firefighters were working to contain the burn, to prevent it from moving toward Oak Creek Canyon, where residents and visitors were evacuated, or Sedona, and to prepare for the possibility that it does.

Fleishman said the steep slope, the nearby property at risk, the heat from the fire and the risk of post-fire flooding caused by rainwater rushing down the slope were among the reasons the Pocket Fire is particularly concerning.

“This fire ramped up in complexity quickly,” he said. “We want to try and keep it as small a footprint as possible.”

About 30 miles (50 kilometres) of the adjacent state highway was closed in both directions.

The Coconino National Forest issued a formal closure Saturday afternoon for all campgrounds, picnic sites and trailheads in the area.

“For June 20,” said Fleishman, who drove through the area, “I’ve never seen it that quiet.”

Oak Creek Canyon attracts millions of visitors each year.