Grand Canyon waterline breaks: How to salvage your vacation

Grand Canyon National Park has announced it will temporarily halt overnight stays on the South Rim (affecting El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, and Maswik Lodge, plus Phantom Ranch, Yavapai Lodge, and Trailer Village) because of four breaks in the Transcanyon Waterline, the South Rim’s main water supply.

If this news affects your travel plans, you're not alone. "On our family's April vacation, we were about two miles into the Grand Canyon on the South Kaibab trail for an overnight stay at Phantom Ranch when I happened to get cell reception on the trail," recalls FamilyVacationist's editorial director, Josh Roberts. "I checked my email and saw a message that due to a pipeline break, there would be no running water at Phantom Ranch or at a refill station along the way. We made the decision to turn around, because we felt it would be dangerous to continue without the certainty of more water for the return hike."

When Roberts and his family reached the South Rim again, they quickly pivoted. "I'd seen a picture of the Grand Canyon West Rim Skywalk a few years earlier and always thought it would be fun to do. We had nowhere else to be and our overnight plans inside the canyon were canceled, so we figured why not? I booked the last available cabin at the Grand Canyon Western Ranch, an old-fashioned ranch complete with a singing cowboy not far from the West Rim. We spent the last two days of our vacation doing something completely different than we'd planned and it ended up being the highlight of the whole vacation."

Here are some other alternatives if your Grand Canyon South Rim plans have been impacted by the water supply issues.

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What’s affected

Until the issues with the Transcanyon Waterline are resolved, none of the hotels inside the park at the South Rim are allowing overnight guests. At the campgrounds, “dry camping” is allowed, which means that all the spigots except the one at Mather Campground check-in kiosk are turned off. The faucets in the campground bathrooms will remain on, though. Around the South Rim, campfires and barbecues aren’t allowed.

What’s not affected

The park and the South Rim area are still open for day use. So if you can sort out alternative accommodations, you can still experience the Grand Canyon, just with a little more driving to and from the park.

Just outside the park, there are a ton of accommodations, though many options are already booked or are booking up quickly (so if you do want to pivot, you’ll need to move quickly and be flexible). Tusayan is what’s known as a “gateway town” about seven miles from the South Rim’s Grand Canyon Village. Farther out are the cities of Cameron (30 miles), Tuba City (50ish miles) and Flagstaff (75 miles).

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Over on the North Rim (an almost four-hour drive from the South Rim), the Grand Canyon Lodge and the North Rim Campground are both open; the campground closes for the season on October 15. And the West Rim Skywalk, where you can walk out over the canyon on a cantilever glass bridge, is about four hours from the South Rim (but if you're no longer staying on the South Rim, it might be even closer).

Grand Canyon alternatives

Nothing quite matches the sheer size and spectacle of the Grand Canyon, but Arizona has no shortage of amazing spots to visit, and if your Grand Canyon trip just isn’t going to happen because of the closure, it’s worth thinking about the other places you might visit instead. Here are a few ideas worth considering.

Ancient ruins of Native American sites: Visit Arizona has a big list of suggestions. On a recent trip, my family stopped at Montezuma Castle Monument, which is an easy stop on the way toward the Grand Canyon from Phoenix and was an incredible way to see cliff dwellings.

Other cool canyons: The Little Colorado River Gorge is close to the Grand Canyon and, though it’s smaller, is still pretty impressive.

Navajo and Hopi lands: Check out our tips for visiting Navajo National Monument and the surrounding Navajo and Hopi lands with kids.

Were your vacation plans affected by the waterline break at the Grand Canyon? Here’s how to salvage your vacation originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.

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The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. Using the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology, we review and select family vacation ideas, family vacation spots, all-inclusive family resorts, and classic family vacations for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations.