Deadly Grand Canyon flash floods spark debate on requiring day-hiking permits
Day-hiker permits debated at Grand Canyon
Lack of permits for day hikers creates tracking challenges for officials after Grand Canyon flash floods. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - Rescuers continue their search for the one hiker still missing after Saturday’s floods, as the tragedy exposes a challenge for park officials trying to track exactly who is on the trails.
What we know:
In the immediate aftermath, officials used the park’s permitting system to track down who was on the trails.
"All but one are accounted for based off our permitting system," said Elizabeth Peace, associate deputy director of communications for the U.S. Department of the Interior during Monday's press conference.
But the park does not require permits for day hikers.
"For a long time, the only thing that's ever been required is a permit if you are going to be spending the night below the rim at one of the campgrounds," said Brian Speciale, host of "The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show" podcast.
So officials had no immediate way of knowing how many people were out there.
"There are day hikers that come into the Canyon that we don't know about," said David Black, incident commander with the National Park Service at Monday's presser.
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Dig deeper:
Now, some in the hiking community are wondering if the park should start requiring permits for day hikers to keep tabs on them.
"Would it help for the National Park Service to know where everyone is? Yeah, I mean, of course it would, especially in a situation like this," Speciale said.
But Speciale says that would be complicated.
"You would have to figure out where the line is that you draw ... But how would you control something like that? The Grand Canyon is a huge place," Speciale said.
Speciale says his advice for anyone hiking anywhere is to always let someone know exactly where you are going and when.
"You know, every time I hike the canyon, I tell my wife specifically, this is the trail that I'm going to be on. This is what I'm doing. And just in case something were to happen, this is where to look for me," Speciale said.
What's next:
As of right now, officials say they believe only one person remains missing. Speciale says the National Park Service has explored the idea of permits before, so he does not believe it would be out of the question in the future.