PAGE – When Grand Canyon’s North Rim closes on Oct. 15 of each year, just about everything from the campground to the visitor center shuts down. Seven months later, North Rim opens again for another five-month season and services go back in business.

 “That means they lay off people,” said Lena Fowler, supervisor for Coconino County’s District 5. “That means even if there are tourists around, restaurants are closed. They all close shop.”

The best times to visit the Grand Canyon are March through May and September through November when daytime temperatures are cool, and the crowds are thin, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Fowler says that is true.  

“That’s about the best time to be around, aside from all the busses that go through,” Fowl

er said. “It’s great camping, it (has) a great fishing area and it’s a great time to drive. Yet with the North Rim closure on the 15th, businesses end up losing a lot of money.”
And that could be gobs of money for the seasonal businesses at the North Rim. That is why an economic impact study of seasonal closure at the North Rim needs to be done, said Fowler. Now, one is underway by Northern Arizona University’s Alliance Bank Economic Policy Institute. This study is an initiative by the City of Page and the county.
“We need a study to say this is the impact and we can use that study to show … the extent of the impact,” Fowler explained. “Right now, when we go and talk with federal agencies, … we don’t have any document in hand to say this is the impact. That’s the reason why we asked the (EPI team at NAU).”
Thus far, Page mayor Bill Diak, Fowler, and eight key stakeholders – which include Fredonia, Kanab, Kane County, the National Park Service, and the Navajo Nation – have talked with three federal agencies.

    “When we go to talk to U.S. Congress, we (will not) have any document in hand to say this is the impact,” Lena continued to explain. “That’s the reason why we asked (the EPI team).

The EPI team is no stranger to the Page-Lake Powell area because they have done an economic impact study on the closure of the Navajo Generation Station, which its operator, Salt River Project, will not release, according to Fowler.

Mayor Diak says the purpose of this initiative is to extend the season at the North Rim. And to do this, Diak, Fowler, and the stakeholders are working on a project called “Add Two and Two” with Chris Lehnertz, superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park.

Add Two and Two just means “add two weeks in the summer and two weeks in the fall.”

“What it is about is looking at how we might eventually work toward keeping the North Rim … open year around,” Diak said. “Of course, there would be some infrastructure issues there that would have to be addressed first.”

The Grand Canyon is the second-most-visited national park in the country, after the Great Smoky Mountains. About 5.5 million tourists visit the Grand Canyon annually. In fact, the number of visitors to the Grand Canyon amounted to approximately 6.25 million last year, according to The Statistics Portal.

“And when it closes, those people kind of change their itinerary,” Diak said. “Sometimes, that means they’re not stopping in and around (Page-Lake Powell). It definitely has an impact.”

The North Rim closure not only affects the Page area, Diak says, it also affects the surrounding communities such as Fredonia, Kanab, Marble Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, and the nearby Navajo communities within Lake Powell Country.

“We all benefit from those things,” Diak said. “Anytime we can add visitor days or hours to our area, we’re helping all of us.”

However, one of the biggest hurdles is getting the Arizona Department of Transportation to keep Highway 67 (south of Jacob Lake) open during the winter season, said Diak.
Fowler says the EPI team just finished gathering data for the month of July and will continue gathering data until October. The data will be released in November 2019.
“Right now, we’re just letting everybody know we’re doing this study,” Fowler added. “And if you’re interested in sharing some of your stories about the impact then let us know.”
Those with stories should contact Wade Rousse at wade.rousse@nau.edu or at 928-523-7643.
Lena Fowler at lfowler@coconino.az.gov or at 928-283-4518.