A significant stretch of the North Kaibab Trail inside Grand Canyon National Park will close to all public access beginning October 15th, 2026, as crews prepare to undertake critical rehabilitation work on the Transcanyon Waterline.
The closure takes effect at 11:59pm on October 15th and will affect the section of trail running between Redwall Bridge, located 2.5 miles north of Manzanita Rest Area, and the northern end of Cottonwood Campground. Park officials expect the hard closure to remain in place through approximately February 2027.
There are no alternative routes or detours through the affected section. The National Park Service characterized the closure as necessary to protect both visitors and work crews, who will be operating heavy equipment in a narrow corridor with active construction underway.
Backcountry travelers should be aware that water service at Cottonwood Campground will also be shut off beginning October 15th. The campground itself will remain open throughout the closure period, and reservations can be made through Recreation.gov. Anyone planning an overnight stay should plan to treat water sourced from the creek.
The rest of the North Kaibab Trail is expected to stay open. Hikers can still access the trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead heading south as far as Redwall Bridge. Access is also available from Phantom Ranch heading north to the northern end of Cottonwood Campground.
The Transcanyon Waterline is the primary water delivery system serving the inner canyon, supplying Phantom Ranch and several other locations deep inside the gorge. Rehabilitation of aging infrastructure along the pipeline has been an ongoing priority for the park in recent years.
Anyone planning a North Rim trip this fall or winter should factor the closure into their route planning well in advance, as the affected section sits squarely in the middle of one of the canyon’s most heavily traveled corridor trails.
