The Grand Canyon Lodge was an elusive getaway for nearly a century. Now it's gone

The astir century-old Grand Canyon Lodge successful acold bluish Arizona was a refuge for ambitious hikers and adventurous tourists anxious to bask successful the magnificent views of 1 of the astir distant and renowned landscapes successful the world.

But a wind-whipped wildfire reduced it to a skeleton of itself wrong hours implicit the weekend, devastating the galore who saw it arsenic an intrinsic portion of the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Fortified with Kaibab limestone and logs from the surrounding Ponderosa conifer forest, it sat astatine the borderline of the canyon, blending successful and enhancing the earthy environment.

“It's tragic, it truly is,” retired National Park Service main historiographer Robert K. Sutton said Monday.

The lodge itself told a cardinal portion of past for some the Grand Canyon and the National Park Service.

Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who designed the lodge successful 1927, sought to immerse residents successful the scenery that present draws millions of visitors annually from astir the satellite with a rustic, integrated architectural style. He designed akin lodges successful Zion and Bryce nationalist parks successful Utah, Yellowstone National Park successful Wyoming and Yosemite National Park successful California, according to the parkland service.

The Grand Canyon Lodge, the lone lodging wrong the canyon's North Rim, was built astatine a clip erstwhile the national section was anxious to find ways to prosecute the nationalist with the country's champion earthy offerings, Sutton said.

For a spot arsenic distant arsenic the North Rim, that wasn't an casual task. The lodge was a winding 212-mile (341-kilometer) thrust from the much fashionable South Rim wherever 90% of the tourists go. Hiking from 1 broadside to the different is adjacent much arduous astatine implicit 20 miles (32 kilometers) with steep ascents astatine the end. But the historical building's tranquility is simply a cardinal portion of its appeal.

“You’re conscionable connected your own. It’s conscionable a wholly antithetic atmosphere,” Sutton said.

The thrust up to the North Rim was a accidental to spot a bison herd that roams the acold reaches of bluish Arizona. The road ended astatine the Grand Canyon Lodge, built close up to the borderline of the rim. Across the lobby wrong and down the stairs, visitors got a picturesque presumption of the Grand Canyon framed done the windows of the “Sun Room” furnished with plush couches. Navajo woven rugs hung connected the walls and elaborate airy fixtures from the ceilings.

In the country of the country sat Brighty, a burro that lived astatine the canyon and inspired a children's book, immortalized successful a statue arsenic a benignant of mascot for the North Rim.

Jen Pinegan, 47, trained for months to hike from the South Rim to the North Rim successful May 2024. She started earlier the prima came up to debar what tin beryllium ruthless Arizona heat. After 12 grueling hours, she arrived astatine the North Rim, stayed the nighttime astatine the Grand Canyon Lodge and awoke to a presumption she she said had “an indescribable magic to it.”

Others hikers were celebrating, too, creating an “electric” ambiance arsenic they soaked successful the views, she said.

“I deliberation there’s what made it much incredible, is knowing that a batch of radical don’t spot it," Pinegan said.

She returned to the lodge for the Fourth of July play to instrumentality her youngest girl and 2 measurement sons to luncheon astatine the edifice known for its elk chili. She said she was brought to tears erstwhile she heard it burned down.

For those who bask a bully roadworthy trip, similar Erik Ammerlaan, the lodge had an elusive appeal. He's traveled to astir 30 countries but counts his enactment astatine the Grand Canyon Lodge successful 2016 arsenic 1 of his astir memorable trips.

“It was similar you were looking astatine this movie, but its conscionable nature," helium said. "You’re truly conscionable 1 with nature”

The lightning-caused wildfire that consumed the lodge and dozens of different structures astatine the North Rim began July 4. The National Park Service had been managing it to wide the scenery of substance erstwhile winds shifted and it made a tally toward the lodge. Hundreds of radical were evacuated.

The blaze wasn't the archetypal clip the lodge was destroyed. In September 1932, conscionable 5 years aft it opened, lodge employees and residents watched arsenic a room occurrence grew and overtook the structure, according to the parkland service. It was rebuilt successful 1938.

Sutton, the retired parkland work historian, and others are optimistic the Grand Canyon Lodge volition get a caller life.

“I fishy it volition regenerate,” helium said.

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Riddle is simply a corps subordinate for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is simply a nonprofit nationalist work programme that places journalists successful section newsrooms to study connected undercovered issues.