New Bill Will Help Grand Canyon National Park Reopen After Historic Wildfire

March 17, 2026

The North Rim Restoration Act will allow Grand Canyon National Park to clear up red tape and speed up its recovery from last year’s historically destructive Dragon Bravo Fire.

The Grand Canyon is one of America’s most iconic natural landscapes, but it’s been struggling as of late. In 2025, its largest-ever wildfire destroyed vast portions of the park, shutting down whole sections, destroying a historic lodge, and causing visitor numbers to drop.

The park faces a massive recovery effort, and a major bill to speed up reconstruction and cleanup just passed the House. It’s a big step in the recovery effort, which could take years to fully complete.

In July, the Dragon Bravo Fire began when lightning struck a very dry area of the Grand Canyon. Park officials decided to monitor the small blaze as a controlled burn, but it quickly spiraled out of control, reaching 145,000 acres and ultimately destroying 113 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.

It shut down the entire North Rim, as well as the iconic Rim-to-Rim trail in the park. The devastation was so severe that Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs called for an investigation into the fire management. GearJunkie has followed up seeking updates on this investigation, but has not received any as of this writing. GEARJUNKIE