Grand Canyon Lodge burns to the ground in wildfire

The nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge in far northern Arizona was a refuge for ambitious hikers and adventurous tourists eager to bask in the magnificent views of one of the most remote and renowned landscapes in the world.

But a wind-whipped wildfire reduced it to a skeleton of itself within hours over the weekend, devastating the many who saw it as an intrinsic part of the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Fortified with Kaibab limestone and logs from the surrounding Ponderosa pine forest, it sat at the edge of the canyon, blending in and enhancing the natural environment.

“It’s tragic, it really is,” retired National Park Service chief historian Robert K. Sutton said Monday.

The lodge built in 1927 sought to immerse residents in the landscape that draws millions of visitors annually from around the world with a rustic, organic architectural style. Similar lodges are in Zion and Bryce national parks in Utah, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Yosemite National Park in California.

The remote North Rim lodge was a winding 212-mile drive from the more popular South Rim where 90% of the tourists go. Hiking from one side to the other is even more arduous at over 20 miles with steep ascents at the end. But the historic building’s tranquility is a fundamental part of its appeal.

The lightning-caused wildfire that consumed the lodge and dozens of other structures at the North Rim began July 4. The National Park Service had been managing it to clear the landscape of fuel when winds shifted and it made a run toward the lodge. Hundreds of people were evacuated.

The blaze wasn’t the first time the lodge was destroyed. In September 1932, just five years after it opened, lodge employees and residents watched as a kitchen fire grew and overtook the structure, according to the park service. It was rebuilt in 1938.

The drive up to the North Rim was a chance to see a bison herd that roams the far reaches of northern Arizona. The highway ended at the Grand Canyon Lodge, built right up to the edge of the rim. Across the lobby inside and down the stairs, visitors got a picturesque view of the Grand Canyon framed through the windows of the “Sun Room” furnished with plush couches. Navajo woven rugs hung on the walls and elaborate light fixtures from the ceilings.

The Park Service is optimistic that the lodge will be rebuilt once again.


(Photos: Eric Ammerlaan, Jan Pinegan via AP)