Fire restrictions and water shortages hit Grand Canyon visitors—what to know

Hiking at the Grand Canyon anytime soon? Watch out for this new danger

By Sarah Joseph Published December 9, 2024

a man standing on a stone pillar in Grand Canyon National Park — Nathan McBride / Unsplash

Grand Canyon National Park has just located a new break in the Transcanyon Waterline. While the waterline has seen its fair share of issues, this latest incident in a long series of breaks means that the South Rim will need to face stricter water restrictions. Until the repairs are completed, the park is officially in conservation mode, and the water was completely shut off on December 7th.

If you’re planning on hiking or visiting the South Rim in the coming days, be aware that you will need to carry more water than you originally planned. Refilling and treated water stations will be limited, so save your water for drinking only and bring more than you think you’ll need. Once you deplete half of your water, consider turning around or heading to the nearest exit point or ranger station to stay on the safe side. You don’t want to find yourself in an emergency situation.

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Signs of dehydration include dizziness, dry mouth, and dark urine. Drink water immediately if these symptoms appear. The best approach is to sip water regularly instead of waiting until you’re thirsty. In addition, it’s always a good idea to carry electrolyte tablets, powders, or drinks to replenish the salts lost through sweat.

Fire restrictions will be in place after December 7th since there won’t be any excess water to put it all out. Campers are prohibited from lighting any fires, so portable stoves that do not have any open flames or pre-prepped meals will be your best friend. Bring warm gear for the cold nights.

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With a bright sense of adventure and a heart for the mountains, Sarah is always thrilled to share nature with others through…

Outdoors

From salt flats to sand dunes: The hidden wonders of Death Valley National Park

Adventure across California’s most diverse landscapes

Salt flats in badwater basin in Death Valley

Death Valley National Park is infamously known as big, barren, and foreboding. So why is it named one of the best national parks to visit in winter, attracting over 1 million annual visitors? The answer is in this park's sheer variety of natural landmarks. One moment, you're standing on a mile-long salt flat. Next, you're admiring the rainbow-colored badlands, and by sunset, you're trekking the dunes -- all within the same park.
Have I piqued your interest? I hope so. Death Valley rivals Yosemite as one of California's most ecologically diverse natural landmarks, and it deserves a visit. But what formations are most worth your time, especially if you only have one day to explore? Let me suggest a few must-see sights based on my most recent visit and a primer on the park's history and geography.

Death Valley National Park’s history, climate, and key facts

Outdoors

Ikon Pass 2025/26 offers new ski perks, mountains, and discounts — what to know

If you choose to ski with the Ikon Pass this 2025/26 season, here's what to expect.

Ski lift

The Ikon Pass is a multi-resort ski and snowboard season pass from the Alterra Mountain Company, and on Thursday, March 13, they will be offering the lowest prices of the year with some great perks. This pass gives you access to some of the best ski mountains, namely a network of 61 mountain destinations across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and even Japan. If you choose to ski with the Ikon Pass this 2025/26 season, here's what you can expect.

First, there are the two new mountains, which are stunning. Ischgl, Austria, is Europe's seventh Ikon Pass destination, with 1,273 acres of deep powder, big mountain lines, modern lifts, and even a long ski season (November to May). Second is Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, which has 1,428 acres of groomed runs, steep chutes, and backcountry-style terrain, with a season that typically runs from November to June. At this location, you will have unlimited access with no blackouts on the Ikon Pass. With these new additions, the Windham Mountain Club will no longer be available on the Ikon Pass for this ski season.

Outdoors

These are the national parks undergoing controlled burns to cut wildfire risks

Going to one of these national parks soon? You might just see some smoke.

Shenandoah National Park in the fall

Prescribed burns are one of the park rangers' most important tools to protect their national parks and ecosystems. By intentionally burning off the excess vegetation like dry grass, shrubs, and dead wood, prescribed burns ultimately reduce the chance of wildfires because there won't be any old vegetation to catch fire later. It's far better for the National Forest Service and local fire teams to do the burns in a controlled setting than to watch it get out of hand later in the year. Here are the national parks across America that are currently in their burning phase:

Shenandoah National Park: Fire managers plan to burn approximately 40 acres of Big Meadows and 20 acres in the park's headquarters. Weather permitting, the burn will start on March 11 and end around April 30th.
Voyageurs National Park: This month, burns will take place in selected wetlands near Black Bay and Cranberry Bay on Rainy Lake to eliminate invasive hybrid cattails and reduce woody plant encroachment.
Cape Cod National Seashore: Prescribed burns will occur at Fort Hill in Eastham during the second week of March. The affected area will be 14 acres along the hillside adjacent to the upper parking lot at Fort Hill.
George Washington Carver National Monument: From March 10th to the 14th, this national monument plans a prescribed burn of about 100 acres to reduce woody species. While the area will be open to visitors, the Carver trail will be closed.