Desert View campground opens

Grand Canyon National Park reopened Desert View Campground on Saturday, April 11, even as South Rim water restrictions remain in effect. (nps.gov) The campground sits at the park’s East Entrance on the South Rim and has 49 campsites for tents, vans, and smaller recreational vehicles or trailers up to 30 feet total length. Reservations are required and must be booked through Recreation.gov. (nps.gov) (recreation.gov) The reopening came with dry-camping rules after a series of breaks in the Transcanyon Waterline cut water deliveries to the South Rim. Water spigots at Desert View and Mather Campground are off, Camper Services has closed, and outdoor wood and charcoal fires are prohibited. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) That pipeline is the system that carries drinking water from Roaring Springs on the North Rim to the South Rim and parts of the inner canyon. The National Park Service says the 12.5-mile line was built in the 1960s and is beyond its expected useful life. (nps.gov) The park has been dealing with repeated failures on that line for years. The National Park Service says the waterline has had more than 85 major breaks since 2010, each disrupting water delivery. (nps.gov) Desert View is 23 miles east of Grand Canyon Village at about 7,463 feet in elevation. The campground usually runs from mid-April to mid-October and does not offer hookups, showers, or a dump station. (recreation.gov) (nps.gov) The South Rim remains open, including the East Entrance at Desert View, while the park asks visitors, residents, and concessioners to reduce water use until repairs are made. Overnight lodging on the South Rim is also operating under capacity limits during the current restrictions. (nps.gov) (visitgrandcanyon.com) For campers, the practical change is simple: a site is available again at Desert View, but visitors need a reservation, their own water plan, and no expectation of campfires until the South Rim restrictions are lifted. (recreation.gov) (nps.gov)