Southwest 2025-11: North Rim Grand Canyon & Dragon Bravo Fire
May 24-26, 2025
Everything all clean—us, clothing, van—we left Kanab, Utah for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, 80 miles south in Arizona. It was May 24, just 8 days after the North Rim had opened for the season.
This was our second visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The first was in fall 2016. Little did we know how lucky we were to visit it a second time, for on July 4, 2025, just 7 weeks after the North Rim had opened for the year and 5-1/2 weeks after we'd visited, lightning sparked a wildfire. At first treated with a "confine and contain suppression strategy," by July 10, shifting winds caused the fire to spread rapidly. By July 11, the North Rim was evacuated, due to both the fire and a chlorine leak at the water treatment plant. By July 12, the North Rim Lodge had burned to the ground.
Doug, Point Imperial, North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
This was our second visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The first was in fall 2016. Little did we know how lucky we were to visit it a second time, for on July 4, 2025, just 7 weeks after the North Rim had opened for the year and 5-1/2 weeks after we'd visited, lightning sparked a wildfire. At first treated with a "confine and contain suppression strategy," by July 10, shifting winds caused the fire to spread rapidly. By July 11, the North Rim was evacuated, due to both the fire and a chlorine leak at the water treatment plant. By July 12, the North Rim Lodge had burned to the ground.
What became known as the Dragon Bravo Fire would destroy nearly 1/2 of the North Rim's 229 structures; cause the death of 2 firemen; burn 145,504 acres of forest; kill untold numbers of wildlife; and take nearly 3 months to contain.
This post is in two parts: our North Rim visit and the Dragon Bravo Fire. We did not take a lot of pictures, wanting to just enjoy the beauty and thinking we'd be back. There are thousands of photos of the fire on the web. We've tried to select a representative sample in an effort to convey the immensity of the fire. We've tried to credit all photos appropriately.
This post is in two parts: our North Rim visit and the Dragon Bravo Fire. We did not take a lot of pictures, wanting to just enjoy the beauty and thinking we'd be back. There are thousands of photos of the fire on the web. We've tried to select a representative sample in an effort to convey the immensity of the fire. We've tried to credit all photos appropriately.
Some of our photos and fire photos of the same location have corresponding numbers, e.g. [25].
Heading south from Kanab, UT on Hwy 89 across the Kanab Plateau.
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With such a short season, those who want to venture to the North Rim arrive as soon as it opens. On our May visit, cars lined both sides of Hwy 67 as far as we could see at the North Kaibab Trailhead.
The preferred rim-to-rim route through the Grand Canyon is North Kaibab Trail, descending 6,000 feet over 14 miles to the Colorado River, then Bright Angel Trail, climbing 4,500 feet over 9 miles to the South Rim—or vice versa.
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North Rim cottages (Michael Quinn, NPS). [5]
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From Bright Angel Point.
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Roosevelt Point, Cape Royal Rd, looking down towards the Colorado River.
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On the way back from Cap Royal, we took another jaunt, to Point Imperial, also an out-and-back drive, 11 miles each way.
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Firefighters wrapped North Rim Entrance Station structures to try to save them; it appears it worked (Inciweb). [3]
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August 31: A forest road, quite possibly FR 611 where we camped (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB). [2]
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September 4: Removing hazard trees that have been decked along roadways (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB).
On September 28, nearly 3 months after it was sparked by lightning, the Dragon Bravo Fire reached 100% containment. On Oct 1, 2025, portions of the North Rim reopened.
Southwest 2025: 6-1/2 weeks. 6,273.5 miles. (1) Visalia CA-Green River UT. (2) Green River-Ship Rock NM. (3) Ship Rock-Aldo Leopold Wilderness. (4) Leopold-Carrizozo. (5) Carrizozo-Taos. (6) Taos-Grand Villa CO. (7) Grand Villa-Green River UT. (8) Green River-Kanab. (9) Kanab-Kanab. (10) Kanab-Bridgeport CA. (11) Bridgeport-Visalia.
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Grand Canyon North Rim: May 24-26, 2025
Heading south from Kanab, UT on Hwy 89 across the Kanab Plateau..jpeg)
Utah/Arizona state line.
On the Kanab Plateau with Kaibab Plateau beyond. Note: KANab vs KAIBab.
Driving through Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
Less than an hour after leaving Kanab, we arrived at Jacob Lake, where we turned south on Hwy 67, the only road into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
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April 6, 2023: The North Rim is 1,000+ feet higher than the South Rim & is closed in winter. In 2023, it did not open until June 2 (Elyssa Shalla, NPS via AP).
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Kaibab National Forest borders the North Rim. [1]
We did not see any bison, but as a Public Information Officer for the Dragon Bravo Fire commented, "Bison don’t care about your roads" (randiwithani.com).
25 miles south of Jacob Lake, we turned east on Forest Road 611. Tan marks pavement giving way to dirt and a 7-mile drive to our amazing campsite on the East Rim (lets-se-america.com).
Fall 2016: Forest Rd 611, a barely 2-lane, graded dirt road. [2]
Our 1st 2016 campsite, with Mz Agnes at the end of FR 611.
1st 2025 campsite, 7 miles from highway.
View from our East Rim campsite. South Rim is reddish wall about 1/3 from top of photo.
Tough place to relax.
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Campsite flora.
From our site.
When we left for the North Rim the next morning, we noticed that the perfect site we'd moved to in 2016 site was now vacated. Back then we found Ian and Mary from Australia packing up at the site, introduced ourselves, and upon their departure took the site. Fortunately, we still correspond with them.
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Mz Agnes, 2016, on Ian & Mary's site. We still miss our Ford PleasureWay Traverse poptop. She hasn't abandoned the road & now travels with our good friends David & Jane.
Same site, 2025.
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We bought our Senior Passes when they were $10 for life!
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North Rim entry station, 35 miles from our camp site. [3]
Along Hwy 67/Grand Canyon Hwy.
With such a short season, those who want to venture to the North Rim arrive as soon as it opens. On our May visit, cars lined both sides of Hwy 67 as far as we could see at the North Kaibab Trailhead.
North Kaibab is the only maintained trail into the canyon from the North Rim (aztrail.org).
North Kaibab Trail (arizonahiking.org).
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North Rim Visitors Center (Grand Canyon Conservancy). [4]
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In addition to the lodge, the North Rim area includes a Visitors Center, campground, hotel, & cottages (Flickr, Grand Canyon National Park via onlyinyourstate.com).
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North Rim cottages (Michael Quinn, NPS). [5].jpeg)
Cottage on the rim—the views must be spectacular (Michael Quinn, NPS).
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From below North Rim Lodge.
1986: Doug & daughter, Katie, Bright Angel Point, below North Rim Lodge. Can you believe she is now taller than Doug?
From Bright Angel Point. South Rim beyond.
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Fall 2016: Bright Angel Point.
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From Bright Angel Point.
May 2025: Bright Angel Point.
From Bright Angel Point we made our way up to the lodge. [6]
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Adirondack chairs & benches line porticos & verandas in the lodge area.
North Rim Lodge dining room has amazing views of the canyon (Michael Quinn, NPS).
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North Rim Lodge Sun Room (Michael Quinn, NPS).
2016: Doug enjoying the view from the Sun Room. [7]
In 2016 & 2025, we enjoyed coffee, sun, & views on the North Rim Lodge veranda (Michael Quinn NPS). [8]
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Along the Transept Trail below the North Rim Lodge as we headed back to the parking lot.
We set out to explore places we had not explored in 2016, beginning with Cape Royal Rd. It's a 23-mile, out-and-back drive from the lodge to Cape Royal. [9]
Vista Encantada along Cape Royal Rd.
Vista Encantada.
Roosevelt Point, Cape Royal Rd, looking down towards the Colorado River. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and for all who come after you...
—Theodore Roosevelt, Grand Canyon, 1903
Doug, Cape Royal.
Cape Royal.
Dizzying!
Cape Royal.
Variations: terrain, layers, formations, colors.
Marilyn, Cape Royal.
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A lovely spot for a wedding...
...it even comes with flowers.
Tenacity!
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| Along Cape Royal Rd. The South Rim is right there, though a bit more crowded, a "mere"23-mile hike or 188 miles by road. |
Point Imperial is the highest point of the Grand Canyon rim & the northernmost boundary of the park.
Point Imperial overlooks Painted Desert & the eastern end of Grand Canyon.
From Point Imperial. [10]
Point Imperial.
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View across canyon to South Rim.
Heading back to our campsite.
View from our East Rim campsite looking across to South Rim.
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More East Rim flora.
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Doug kept moving with the sun.
Last night on the East Rim.
Hwy 67, a little south of Jacob Lake, on our way out: Jacob Fire Lookout Tower, constructed in 1934, by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
May 24-26, 2025: Our North Rim visit.
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Dragon Bravo Fire
Sept 1, 2025: Pink=Dragon Bravo Fire. Black=contained fire edge. Red=fire edge. Blue=Forest Rd 611 where we camped.
During the fire, Forest Rd 611—red on the 1st map, blue on the 2nd—along with other forest roads, was cleared to create a containment line and to provide access to the fire for firefighters and equipment. As can be seen in the map above, much of the area surrounding FR 611, where we camped in 2016 and 2025, burned.
Some photos of the fire are numbered, e.g., [25] to correspond with pictures of the same area above before the fire.
Ignited by a lightning strike on July 4, 2025, the Dragon Bravo Fire closed the North Rim. (8/16/25, Tuhiin Sarkar Travel & tourworld.com).
July 28, 2025: 3 weeks after Dragon Bravo Fire ignited (Inciweb). [1]
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Firefighters wrapped North Rim Entrance Station structures to try to save them; it appears it worked (Inciweb). [3]
July 10: Firefighters & emergency vehicles (NPS).
...but not so the Visitor Center (Rich Jamison/Ponderosa Fire Department). [4]
When writing this blog we were amazed how few pictures we had taken—our complacency, having been there before, coupled with the idea we would soon return. How did we know the North Rim would soon be destroyed.
By July 12, the North Rim Lodge & many of the surrounding structures had burned to the ground (KAFF News). [6]
July 13: Sun Room (Matt Jenkins/NPS). [7]
July: Sun Room & veranda. Amazingly, some Adirondack chairs survived (MyShots, Creative Commons CC0 License). [8]
Some cottages escaped the fire (Matt Jenkins, NPS)...
...but many did not survive (NPS). [5]
July: Aerial view of North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge & surrounding structures after the fire (Joe Rondone/The Republic).
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July 15: Dragon Bravo Fire seen from Mather Point on South Rim (Reuters/David Swanson).
July 25: Air operations underway (Southwest Area Incident Team 4).
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July 28: Glowing pyrocumulus cloud created by fire (L. Cisneros, National Park Service).
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Both helicopters & planes were used to combat the fire, alongside fire trucks of various types. (Ponderosa Fire Department).
August 8 (NPS).
August 12: Looking southeast from Point Imperial (Inciweb). [10]
August 31: A forest road, quite possibly FR 611 where we camped (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB). [2]
September 2: A tracked forestry machine picks up hazard & burned trees for transport out of the area. This looks to be the area where we camped on Forest Rd 611 (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB). [2]
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September 17 (Dragon Bravo Fire Information FB).
September 2: In the developed area of the North Rim, specialized equipment is used to clear hazard trees around structures & infrastructure (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB).
September 4: Removing hazard trees that have been decked along roadways (Dragon Bravo Fire Information, FB).
Aug. 31: Trucks lined up to take away trees removed from the Dragon Bravo Fire burn area (Ryan Heinsius/KNAU).
September 6 (KJZZ.org).
The fire mostly did not impact the North Rim bison herd as their migration patterns kept them away from it (Grand Canyon National Park, FB).
May: Deer along Hwy 67 to North Rim.
August 24: Wildlife has begun returning to areas of the North Rim burned by the Dragon Bravo Fire (Inciweb).
August 29: Coyote (Dragon Bravo Fire Information Page, FB).
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Southwest 2025 trip: 6.5 weeks/6,274 mi.
Southwest 2025: 6-1/2 weeks. 6,273.5 miles. (1) Visalia CA-Green River UT. (2) Green River-Ship Rock NM. (3) Ship Rock-Aldo Leopold Wilderness. (4) Leopold-Carrizozo. (5) Carrizozo-Taos. (6) Taos-Grand Villa CO. (7) Grand Villa-Green River UT. (8) Green River-Kanab. (9) Kanab-Kanab. (10) Kanab-Bridgeport CA. (11) Bridgeport-Visalia.
So sad to see all that was destroyed. Thank you for allowing to compare the before and after, especially the Sun room… : (
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