North Rim of Grand Canyon to reopen May 15 following 2025 Dragon Bravo fire destruction

Guide shares insights into Dragon Bravo fire damage

Parts of the Grand Canyon's North Rim that burned during the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires will open May 15. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean shares how those who call the North Rim home are preparing after a season of loss.

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - We're getting our first look at recovery efforts at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon after last year's wildfires. Parts of the area burned during the White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires will reopen May 15. 

The Dragon Bravo fire burned nearly 150,000 acres in the Kaibab National Forest and along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. As cleanup continues, so do conversations about preventing this level of destruction in the future.

What they're saying:

"It was quite emotional. I think my first time coming to see this particular portion was like, wow, that’s impressive, there’s a lot that’s happened," said Jacob Jacoby, a licensed guide and outfitter.

Jacoby and his parents are licensed guides and outfitters in the Kaibab National Forest. They’ve seen the destruction left behind from the 2025 White Sage and Dragon Bravo fires and say some parts of the national forest they love are unrecognizable.

"A year ago there was a wall of trees so thick you couldn’t see very far. It was a beautiful spot, nice pull out, great place to take pictures and now, as you can see, it’s decimated and there’s not much left," Jacoby said.

The destruction is also displacing creatures that called the trees and forest floor home.

"Thankfully, there are still some areas that are salvaged, and they’re doing very well there, but in these areas that have burned, we’ve seen almost none," Jacoby said.

Jacoby says there are many lessons to be taken from the devastating fires.

"It would be nice if there were some different preventative measures for these large, natural wildfires. Before it burned, there were too many trees. Now that it burned, there’s too few," Jacoby said.

The backstory:

The handling of the Dragon Bravo fire – specifically the decision to let the lightning-caused blaze burn the first few days – has drawn criticism from Washington. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum discussed what he called early mismanagement at a recent Senate hearing, saying the National Park Service should’ve approached the fire with suppression rather than containment efforts.

"BLM land where the fire was put out it was operating under their operational thing under suppression, with the National Park Service is offering under a strategy called containment. Containment did not work due to the winds and conditions," Burgum said.

The Dragon Bravo fire specifically destroyed dozens of structures within the Grand Canyon National Park, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. Jacoby says the loss has been significant, but so has the strength of the North Rim community.

Parts of Grand Canyon North Rim to reopen soon

Parts of the North Rim area of the Grand Canyon that burned during the White Sage and Dragon Bravo Fires in 2025 are set to reopen, and FOX 10's Nicole Krasean has more on how people who call the area home are preparing.

"The community has really pulled together for those who live up here and those that live in the surrounding communities that love to come recreate up here. The whole experience has really tightened us together, and you can feel the love and support," Jacoby said.

What's next:

And every visitor from May 15 on can do their part to be fire wise. To learn more about how to do so, and more about the phased reopening of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/northrimstatus.htm.

Map of the area