One Still Missing After Deadly Flash Flooding at the Grand Canyon
At least two people are dead, and one more is missing following a weekend flooding event at Grand Canyon National Park. Read on for the latest on the recovery effort, as well as what triggered this deadly flooding situation.
Two Confirmed Dead in Grand Canyon Flooding
Search and rescue efforts are still underway in Arizona after a monsoonal flood roared through the Bright Angel Creek area at Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday. Officials say that 82 people were rescued from this area, as well as from the nearby Phantom Ranch and Cottonwood campgrounds. Evacuees have been transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim of the park, where the American Red Cross is on site to provide assistance.
National Park Service (NPS) officials confirmed late Monday that two bodies have been recovered from the site of the flooding. The victims have been identified as 46-year-old John Guisti and 42-year-old Brent Rosenkranz, both of Granbury, Texas. One other person who was hiking with that group remains unaccounted for.
The flooding unfolded on Saturday at about 2:30 pm in Bright Angel Canyon. NPS said that 62 people were evacuated by air from the area near the lower North Kaibab Trail and the Phantom Ranch campground. More people were evacuated on Sunday from the Cottonwood Campground and nearby Phantom Ranch.
The Silver and Black Bridges, the Phantom Ranch, and all of the North Kaibab Trail are closed to the public indefinitely. In addition to the present dangers due to the monsoonal storm weather pattern, there have been significant impacts to the infrastructure in Bright Angel Canyon, including the destruction of almost all of the footbridges across the creek.
The National Weather Service (NWS) also signaled that a metal building in the area was washed into the Colorado River due to the force of the floodwaters. Several of the bridges at Phantom Ranch were also washed away.
What Triggered the Devastating Flooding
Although rainfall totals only came in at 1 to 1.75 inches, it was enough moisture in a short amount of time to trigger the flooding. The narrow canyons that dot the landscape of this park make it more vulnerable to the monsoonal storms that fire up in the late summer and the early fall.
Water gauges along the Colorado River increased by as much as 9 feet as the heavy rain flowed through the canyons beneath the park's North Rim. This is the same area that was burned during the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire, creating burn scars that are susceptible to being used as conduits for floodwaters.
An NPS official said that the water gauges that were installed after the Dragon Bravo Fire alerted officials that the water was rising dangerously fast. These gauges are designed to go off at the first sign of floodwaters, prompting evacuation efforts.
The tragic situation serves as a reminder about how dangerous heavy monsoonal rain can be, particularly in areas with steep terrain and narrow canyons.
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