Latest news with #NationalParkService
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
‘Secret' beach just a short ride from NYC named third best in US — and swimsuits are optional
Sun's out, buns out. New Yorkers looking to beat the heat — and get naked — needn't look much farther than the Big Apple. BoatBooker, an international boat activity service, has named the most underrated beaches in the country — and a Garden State entry made the list. Advertisement Gunnison Beach, located in Sandy Hook, came in third place thanks to its sprawling shores and top-tier views of New York City, located just across the water. However, the skyline sights are far from the only spectacle this seaside destination offers. Gunnison is also the only clothing-optional beach in Jersey, making it a popular place for people with a particular penchant for naturalism. Advertisement 3 Gunnison Beach was the only Northeast spot to snag a top ranking on the list. Scenic Corner – Gunnison Beach has been a favorite of naked New Jerseyans since the '70s. However, the National Park Service advises that beach bums keep a close eye on posted signs to ensure they're not caught wandering au naturel out of bounds, as they could be slapped with a disorderly conduct charge. 3 The sandy stretch has plenty of signs about the clothing-optional culture. Steven Hirsch Advertisement 3 Sandy Hook also has plenty of other beaches for the clothing-inclined, but they may be swarmed by summer crowds. John McAdorey – Not only is it clothing-optional, it's also a close commute for New Yorkers and Jerseyites alike. During the summer months, beachgoers can hop on a ferry from lower Manhattan to get to Sandy Hook in an hour or so. New York has its own highly-ranked beaches to be sure, but this season, the most sought-after spots in the Hamptons have become costlier and more crowded than ever before. Advertisement A simple weekend getaway can cost thousands of dollars, plus hours on the highways in traffic. Aside from the New Jersey beach that took bronze, sandy spots in South Carolina and California fared favorably. In fact, aside from Gunnison, literally no other beaches beat out the top-tier Palmetto and Golden State shores. While these hidden gem spots may boast sprawling, crowd-free sands, many listed areas — Gunnison Beach included — do not have lifeguards on duty. Top underrated beaches in the U.S. in 2025 Vereen Memorial Park, South Carolina Driftwood Beach, South Carolina Gunnison Beach, New Jersey Morris Island, South Carolina Torrey Pines City Beach, California Caswell Beach, North Carolina Dana Strands Beach, California Pirates Cove Beach, California Station 22 – Public Beach Access, South Carolina Edisto Beach State Park Campground, South Carolina Amid a wave of high-profile drownings as a result of coastal rip currents, experts advise beachgoers to monitor weather and wave conditions closely. Kaitlin Krause, the founder of the NYC-based rip current education non-profit Rising Tide Effect, previously told The Post that 'untrained rescuers often become victims themselves,' and advised onlookers to call 911 immediately, and said that 'if you must assist, throw something that floats, like a life ring, buoy or cooler.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Map Shows States Where Tarantulas Are Roaming for Mating Season
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. It's almost tarantula mating season, and in certain states, tens of thousands of tarantulas are expected to crawl out of their burrows to look for mates. Whether you're an arachnophobe or an arachnophile, here's what you need to know about tarantula mating season and the states where the eight-legged creatures can be found. Why It Matters Tarantula mating season typically takes place from late August to October. High temperatures and moisture drive the creatures from their burrows, and males go out to search for partners. While tarantulas in the U.S. are generally not aggressive or harmful to humans, public portrayals of the large spiders—which generally measure about 4 inches or more—may inspire fear in some. Knowing more about the creatures could help relieve those concerns. Which States Have Tarantulas? According to the World Population Review, tarantulas are present in these 13 U.S. states: Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Kansas Louisiana Missouri Nevada New Mexico Oklahoma Texas Utah Generally speaking, tarantulas prefer dry climates and live in Western and Southwestern states. However, they can be found in other states, and their location can depend on the species of tarantula. What Kinds of Tarantulas Are in the U.S.? The U.S. is home to about 29 species of tarantula, which primarily belong to the Theraphosidae family. Here are some of the tarantulas that can be found in the country: Aphonopelma hentzi—Texas brown tarantula. This is one of the most common species in the U.S. It is found in multiple states and reaches a 4- to 5-inch leg span. Aphonopelma chalcodes—desert blonde tarantula. Native to Arizona, this tarantula inhabits desert regions and is known for its long life span. Aphonopelma iodius—Great Basin blonde tarantula. Found in the California, Nevada and Utah deserts, females of this species can live for more than 30 years in captivity. Aphonopelma anax—Texas tan tarantula. This species is native to southern Texas and northern Mexico, and it is one of the largest species in the U.S., reaching a 5- to 6-inch leg span. Generally, tarantulas that are seen out and about are males as females are "homebodies who don't travel far from their individual burrows," according to the National Park Service. Females live longer than males, sometimes up to 25 years while males live up to 10 years. This is partly because of males going on their mating journeys and encountering danger on the way. A tarantula walks at El Impenetrable National Park, Chaco province, Argentina, on October 28, 2022. A tarantula walks at El Impenetrable National Park, Chaco province, Argentina, on October 28, 2022. LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images Are Tarantulas Dangerous to People? According to the National Park Service, tarantulas are not aggressive or deadly, despite portrayals in pop culture. The service describes them as docile, adding that though they are capable of biting a person, this mostly happens if they are harassed, and bites are rare. Additionally, their venom is not considered to be toxic to humans. What Happens Next The mating season is set to last until the fall. According to World Population Review, "if you see a tarantula in your home, you should not kill it. Keep in mind that tarantulas are going to kill a lot of the most common pests that you might find in your home." The data site added, "If you feel like you can do so safely, try to catch it in a container. Then, release it in the wild."
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hiking and camping spiked during COVID. Then they kept going up
It took an invading contagion from the other side of the world to remind some of us: California is best experienced outdoors. Leaving screens, phones and Amber alerts behind, Californians enjoy, among other delights, the glory of America's most majestic coastline and its most spectacular mountain range. During those queasy days of 2020 when public health officials shut down most public gathering places in an attempt to control the COVID-19 pandemic, state and national park attendance skyrocketed. Stats from the state and feds show how the drive to be outside has only grown, even as the virus has receded and indoor spaces have become welcoming again. That trend has been demonstrated again, as the number of camping reservations for this summer at California state parks jumped 36% over the already elevated figures for June, July and August of 2024. Some parks have seen even bigger increases for that period, led by Henry W. Coe State Park near Silicon Valley-adjacent Morgan Hill, where nearly twice as many camp spots have been reserved; Half Moon Bay State Beach, up 75%, MacKerricher State Park in Mendocino County, up 71%, Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County, up 69%. The state's marquee outdoor space, Yosemite National Park, has experienced a similar boom, with attendance spiraling up 56% in four years, to more than 4.1 million in 2024. That's all fine and good, but the extra car and foot traffic is not easy to manage. And the government agencies that oversee those spaces will be straining to both welcome the influx and protect those beloved havens, with less help than they had before. State parks sustained a 7.95% budget reduction, a cut similar to those being absorbed by other California departments, in the just-approved state budget. The state's parks leaders have chosen to maintain the staffing, cleanup and maintenance that is 'visitor facing,' while postponing natural resource conservation and endangered species management, in places where 'the impacts are not going to be permanent,' said Adrien Contreras, assistant deputy director for state park operations. The National Park Service has also been underfunded for decades, and reduced staffing 16.5% since 2023, according to the National Parks Conservation Assn., a leading nonprofit advocating for public lands. That amounts to 3,600 fewer rangers and other personnel across the country. In order to keep basic services in place, workers have been reassigned. That maintenance man cleaning your toilet just might be a trained biologist. So thank the workers when you crowd into a park this summer. They mostly took these jobs to serve the public, not to get rich, said Contreras, who began as a 19-year-old seasonal employee and remains with the state parks agency, almost a quarter of a century later. 'These are very important places for people to go out and find solace,' Contreras said. 'It's a very stressful time, with everything going on right now, so we want to make sure we are there for the public.' Today's great photo is from Alejandro Cegarra. It depicts a Stryker armored vehicle patrolling the border area dividing Juárez, Mexico, from El Paso, Texas, after Trump's tariff threats. Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@ Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
In beloved national parks, summer crowds throng despite budget cuts
We visited four of the country's 'crown jewels' and found deep concern for the park system's future among Americans of all political persuasions. Weeks into summer, millions of tourists are again streaming by car, camper, boat and hiking boot to America's national parks. The 63 sites, spanning deserts and peaks, swamps and beaches, are among the most visited and most revered spots on the continent, postcard-ready emblems of a vast country proud of its public lands and awe-igniting scenery. But the summer of 2025 is unlike any before. The National Park Service, like other federal agencies, has been hit hard by President Donald Trump's government reorganization. Firings, early retirements and job freezes have diminished the long-underfunded system's permanent employees by nearly a quarter, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. As of July, the advocacy group tallied, just over half of the target number of seasonal workers had been hired to help manage the crowds. Ominous signs of the impact surfaced this spring. Some visitor centers and campgrounds were temporarily closed because of staffing shortages, as was Arches National Park's famed Fiery Furnace trail in Utah; ranger-led tours and programs in other parks were curtailed. The superintendent resigned at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, citing frustration with the cuts and what he called the agency's 'dismantlement.' Park employees warned of long-term consequences, including hamstrung search-and-rescue operations and the demise of behind-the-scenes scientific research. Story continues below advertisement Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who oversees the agency, has said he is focused on reducing bureaucracy — cutting workers who labor at desks, not on the ground. He ordered all sites to remain 'open and accessible' and promised they would have the staffing to ensure visitors 'enjoy our nation's most treasured places.' To see how the parks are faring amid the turmoil, Washington Post reporters visited four just before peak summer season. We found that changes so far were subtle, though staff cautioned that issues might emerge in coming months. The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment. And no matter the location, our reporters found profound affection for America's 'crown jewels' — as the national parks have historically been described — strong support for their protection and vivid concern over what the cuts will mean in the years to come. Mammoth Cave, Kentucky 747,042 visitors in 2024 The darkness inside Mammoth Cave feels so complete, it's like being swaddled in an inky black blanket. I heard myself letting out a breathy 'wow' as my eyes slowly adjusted to the lighting installed for human intruders — illumination dim enough to not disturb the cave crickets and thumb-size bats at home in the cave's vast 'rooms.' Map of Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Ohio IND. Cincinnati Louisville Kentucky Mammoth Cave Nashville Tenn. 100 miles And that plunk! of moisture drip-dropping from overhead? A 'cave kiss,' Ranger Hillary tells my group when we reach a part of this underground world where stalactites glisten. This is the essence of the Mammoth Cave National Park experience: novelty and wonder from the natural environment fused with history and storytelling from a corps of enthusiastic rangers. Unlike other places where visitors are free to roam, the only way to explore is through a ticketed tour, nearly all ranger-led. In April, Burgum came to Mammoth Cave to tout his commitment to maintaining all national parks despite the budget cuts. 'America's best idea was the national park system … beloved by everyone,' he said while on a tour. 'We know we have to take care of the parks.' The secretary's words drew skepticism from employees systemwide, including here. Several were eager to talk this month, though on the condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisal. 'The pretty face of the NPS' — meaning upbeat staff, tidy amenities, well-tended trails — mask low morale, frozen pay and frustrations over having to 'do less with less,' a second-year ranger told me. Mammoth Cave regained at least some of the positions initially cut. Yet with the year's late start for the hiring of seasonal workers, tour capacity has remained lower. The 2,300 daily ticket spots could be expanded by 400 to 500 more with a full workforce, according to another ranger. Laurie Foster of Houston suspected as much when she found most tours had sold out in advance. 'I'm sure they didn't have enough guides to go around,' said Foster, 38, who runs a management consulting business with her husband. They were traveling the country, park after park, in an RV with their three young boys, and she'd had a tough time getting tickets. She ultimately had to settle for a self-guided tour, the only option left for a party their size. Mammoth Cave was the family's 12th national park this year, and it was hard to tell who was the most excited to descend hundreds of feet into the earth. Benjamin Foster, 45 and a self-described political moderate, demurred on sharing his stronger opinions on the administration's funding cuts but — with his sons in mind — stressed the 'absolutely imperative' need for the parks to receive more money. Parks Fact: The National Park Service oversees 85 million acres that encompass national parks, battlefields, historical parks, lakeshores, monuments, recreation areas and more. 'When I think about how much technology is involved in their life, how much AI is going to be a part of what we do, what's really going to be unique about the future is the experience that you have in the real world,' he said. 'To be able to come and see this and really feel it, breathe it, touch it is really pretty special.' Mammoth Cave boasts superlatives that other parks can only dream of: world's longest known cave system, UNESCO World Heritage site. In its otherworldly recesses, parents rejoice over the lack of WiFi, which makes children focus on what's around them. Stephen Spencer, 54, who works in environmental waste management, has been coming to Mammoth Cave since he was a kid in Kentucky. I met him on the way to the Historic Entrance — the main access point used by Indigenous Americans seeking shelter millennia ago and, much later, by explorers and saltpeter miners. 'This is where our parents took us, and where we learned a lot,' Spencer said as he chased after a 2-year-old grandson. 'I'd hate to see that die.' — Kim Bellware Glacier, Montana 3,208,755 visitors in 2024 Technically it was summer, but Glacier seemed to still be exiting winter. The park's main artery, Going-to-the-Sun Road, had temporarily closed because of snowfall days before. Patches of ice dotted the landscape as the route climbed 3,500 feet from the west entrance to Logan Pass, and around each bend was another soaring peak, another gushing waterfall, another glimpse of bighorn sheep on slopes of scree. Glacier felt almost sacred to me, too magnificent to be tainted by political disputes in Washington. But I knew that many people feared the budget cuts there would be felt in the wilderness here, a place where crowds have been managed by a reservation system since 2021. Map of Glacier National Park in Montana. Canada Glacier National Park Spokane Montana Billings Boise Idaho Wyo. 100 miles While current and former staffers said seasonal hiring seemed not much below normal levels, they were braced for calamity with certain scenarios — a missing hiker, for instance, or a wildfire threatening Glacier's forests. 'There will be delayed response to emergency events,' Gary Moses, a former ranger, told me. 'I wouldn't say if. I would say when.' Parks Fact: In 2024, nearly 332 million people visited the national parks — an all-time high, up by more than 24 million people from a decade earlier. Basic services appeared to be running smoothly as the park's busiest period neared. Bathrooms were open and clean, trails were busy but tidy, and the park's distinctive red buses were only occasionally slowed by traffic backups. Differences were more evident between the lines: Park calendars showed that only about two-thirds the number of ranger-led tours were on the schedule compared with the same day the year before. Their concerns about changes under the Trump administration drew science teacher Heather Holt and her husband from Jupiter, Florida. The couple had flown to Utah and already road-tripped to Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands and Yellowstone national parks, starting hikes before dawn to beat the heat and hordes of tourists. They then continued north, almost to the Canadian border, to reach this region known as the Crown of the Continent. And now they were watching the sun rise — just past 5:30 a.m. — over glassy Lake McDonald. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'We decided we better come see the national parks before some lunatic destroys them,' the 55-year-old Holt said, a dig aimed specifically at the president. That same morning found Josh Bekley and Alec Chin fueling up with coffee at the century-old Lake McDonald Lodge. The pair, from Hartford, Connecticut, were on the second day of their 'big hike trip' in the West. Day one had featured a trek to the glacier-fed Avalanche Lake. 'Unbelievable,' described Bekley, 24, a software engineer and first-time visitor. They'd been a bit frustrated, though, by the lack of rangers or guides to answer questions at some of the spots they hit. 'Some people kind of complain that, like, tax dollars go here and here and here,' said Chin, 25. 'But this is one of those things where it's like, I would gladly pay into it.' Up at Logan Pass, I was admiring fields of yellow glacier lilies when I met Janet and Mike Dihmes, a couple in their late 60s from Frederick, Maryland. Both are 'Trumpers,' said Mike, a former safety director, and have faith the president loves the country. Yet they sounded torn over the administration's budget targets, bringing up government waste even as they acknowledged they didn't want the national parks to suffer cuts. 'We love the parks,' stressed Janet, a retired bookkeeper. It's just that the country needs to 'pare down,' she said. 'We spend way too much on stupid stuff.' They were visiting Glacier for the second year in a row, wildfires having interrupted their 2024 adventure. Around them, visitors hooded up given the chilly gusts smiled for selfies. A bold marmot skittered around their feet. 'This is a place people come back to,' Mike said. — Karin Brulliard Acadia, Maine 3,961,661 visitors in 2024 People sometimes speak about their happy place, where their soul is at peace or their senses come alive. For retired carpenter Jeffrey Wellman, Acadia is that place — and has been since 'I had my first diaper on' 70 years ago. 'It's not just one thing, it's the whole thing,' explained Wellman, who grew up in Maine but now lives in Marlborough, Massachusetts. 'We get the ocean, we get the forests, we get the inland beaches. It's just a paradise.' Map of Acadia National Park in Maine. Canada MAINE Vt. Portland Acadia National Park N.H. Boston Atlantic Ocean 100 miles Wellman, for one, thinks he's found a sliver of silver lining to the national parks' funding cuts. Word of those budget woes have encouraged visitors here to 'have more respect for the park,' he said. 'It used to be that people would leave all their trash around, but I'm noticing a lot more people are taking all their waste away.' But as I drove and hiked around Acadia — which for 25 years has also been my happy place — I found that other tourists and locals couldn't shake their concerns about the future. Alyssa Goodstein, communications director for the Illinois AFL-CIO in Chicago, had just completed her first hikes on her first visit when I met her in a parking lot that provides access to Beech Mountain via several trails. The funding cuts were 'the impetus' for her trip, said Goodstein, 37, a 'Women in Construction' ball cap atop her head. 'I'm really afraid about what's happening to our national parks.' Part of the allure of Acadia, which occupies about half of Mount Desert Island, traces to its special history in this coastal region of Maine known as Downeast. In the early 20th century, John Rockefeller Jr. gave thousands of acres and financed and played a key role in the construction of the park's iconic carriage roads and stone bridges. And the Friends of Acadia, an independent nonprofit, has long supported the park as its official philanthropic partner. (Full disclosure: My husband and I have been donors.) Eric Stiles, the group's president and chief executive, reminded me that Acadia's carriage roads were beset by real neglect that peaked in the '70s and '80s. Restoration took the ensuing decades, and he's worried about what happens in the park during this Trump administration. Acadia 'takes continual care and feeding,' Stiles said, adding that should the current cuts hold and the projected cuts happen, what visitors see and experience would be highly impacted — and visible — in five to 10 years. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 'We need the hiring freeze to be lifted,' he said. 'That is absolutely essential.' His worries extend to the small, picturesque towns that share the island with the park. He noted that Acadia brings in $685 million annually for the local economy. 'Downeast Maine rises or falls with Acadia,' he said. 'So far, it's been rising, and there's too much at stake to not allow the park to operate with certainty.' On a carriage road not far from the Jordan Pond House — a tourist favorite for its popovers, expansive lawn and scenic view — I met Brad Jordan on a bike ride with friends. He's no relation to the clan for which the pond was named, but he's still deeply tied to the park through his business, Maine State Kayak & E-Bike. It has two locations in the immediate area that depend on vacationers to Acadia. When the administration earlier this year was axing thousands of federal workers, including park rangers, and freezing open positions, some of Jordan's customers delayed committing to their summer plans. That made his own staffing decisions more difficult. 'People were definitely holding off from reserving in advance,' he said. Parks Fact: The National Park Service's fiscal 2025 budget totals $3.3 billion. The White House has proposed cutting that by more than $1 billion for the next fiscal year, which starts in October. While his numbers are now slightly ahead of last year's, he still has longer-term misgivings. 'Anytime you're cutting federal funds to a national park,' he said, 'it's detrimental in terms of safety.' At the Beech Mountain trailhead, first-time visitor Goodstein offered an even stronger defense. 'Our national parks are the lungs of our country,' she said. 'They represent some of the best places.' — Karen Miller Pensiero Zion, Utah 4,946,592 visitors in 2024 With its jagged red-rock mountains, immense vistas and steep canyons, Zion is a place that reminds you just how vast the American West remains. It's among the country's busiest national parks, famous both for the Narrows, a slot canyon carved by the Virgin River, and Angel's Landing, an ascent so perilous that climbers grasp chain ropes along the way and so popular that they have to win a lottery space to attempt it. Map of Zion National Park in Utah. Nev. Salt Lake City Zion National Park Utah Las Vegas Ariz. Calif. 100 miles I was a first-time guest and met others like me, including a Kentucky couple celebrating their 35th anniversary as bighorn sheep bleated below them. But many were repeat visitors, and they were unsure what they'd find given the actions out of Washington — which initially had Zion losing a dozen rangers and 100 seasonal employees. 'I was a little bit concerned: Was there going to be enough services, enough people around to help?' said 54-year-old Katherine Hedrick of Wilmington, North Carolina, a former Zion tour guide, who was on a trip with longtime friends. 'What's going to happen when people get lost or fall?' Parks Fact: The National Park Service estimates its backlog of deferred maintenance was $22.9 billion at the end of fiscal 2024. Moments later, I noticed a young woman sitting on the ground, her head bloodied. Someone said she'd been bitten by a squirrel. Two rangers and an EMS worker arrived on the scene and soon wheeled her out on a rugged stretcher — underscoring the need for trained staffers in an often harsh environment. I later watched a ranger show several Mennonite hikers a rare snail, the wet rock physa, as it crawled amid ferns on a canyon wall. Zion is the only place in the world that the tiny creature is found. 'I worry about the things you can't see,' said Andrew Halloran, 43, a product manager from Littleton, Massachusetts, who was traveling with his wife, Jenn, and two kids, Ella, 8, and Brayden, 9. Fourth-graders like Brayden get free entrance to national parks under the government's Every Kid Outdoors program, among the reasons for the family's first vacation to Zion. Folks like Aaron Rex, 51, an electrical engineer from Columbus, Ohio, didn't detect signs of the budget cuts — which, as a Trump voter, he supported. Bathrooms at the visitors center and other prime spots were open, Rex noted, and park staff appeared to be clearing trash from trails. But other visitors told me they noticed empty entrance booths, lax parking enforcement and shuttered bathrooms replaced in places by port-a-potties near the Narrows trailhead. I started to wonder about staffing after I saw a massive cottonwood tree limb crash into the lodge parking lot. Nobody was injured, but nobody rushed to remove it either. Then one of the packed shuttle buses I rode around the park was delayed entry as we waited for a ranger to open a gate. Most rangers, and even park volunteers, said they were barred from discussing the federal funding situation, but a few were willing to talk. A still-new ranger pointed to delays in various repairs and planned improvements within Zion. The popular Weeping Rock trail, for instance, was still shuttered because of a rockslide. Morale also has been damaged, according to Ray Sweigert, 77, a retired history teacher and longtime volunteer who helps track the critically endangered California condors that make their home in Zion. He relishes educating visitors about the birds and this summer was watching a pair that he hoped would soon mate. In our conversation, with black-streaked canyon walls as the backdrop, Sweigert offered his personal thoughts about the park's challenges. He had only admiration for its rangers and other workers, calling them 'underpaid, underappreciated, understaffed.' 'They certainly deserve far more support than they get,' he said. — Molly Hennessy-Fiske Story continues below advertisement Advertisement
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Climate
- Newsweek
Dragon Bravo Fire Map: Blaze Grows to 71,000 Acres
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Dragon Bravo fire has grown by nearly 30,000 acres in the span of three days as record-low humidities create challenging conditions and decrease the containment firefighters have secured over the past three weeks the flames have been burning. Why It Matters A lightning strike ignited the Dragon Bravo fire in the Grand Canyon's North Rim on July 4. In the three weeks the fire has been burning, there have been no injuries or fatalities, although 100 structures in the North Rim have been destroyed, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The fire prompted National Park Service (NPS) officials to close the North Rim entrance for the season. There have been 1,000 evacuees. At any one time, 1,000 firefighters are combatting the flames. What to Know As of the most recent update, the fire is at 71,000 acres in size and only 9 percent contained. On Sunday, the fire's size was 44,429 acres and it was 26 percent contained. A map shows the boundary for the Dragon Bravo Fire burning in the Grand Canyon's North Rim. A map shows the boundary for the Dragon Bravo Fire burning in the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Inciweb "Progress on the Dragon Bravo Fire is moving in the negative direction - the fire saw nearly 20,000 acres of growth overnight," KUTV2 News reporter Olivia Kelleher posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "The containment was downgraded from 26% to 13% and then again to 9% a few moments ago." Southwest Area Incident Management Team Public Information Officer Lisa Jennings told Newsweek that weather is posing the biggest challenge to firefighters. As historically dry conditions contribute to the fire's rapid growth, firefighters have been unable to keep up with containment. "With the huge amount of fire activity over the past several days, we have had to reduce our containment because of the growth of the fire," Jennings told Newsweek. "As the fire grows in size, we have not been able to increase our containment at the same pace the fire is growing." Jennings was unable to provide an estimate on when the fire might be completely contained. What People Are Saying Jennings told Newsweek: "This is the driest it has ever been for the month of July. It just keeps breaking those records day after day." The most recent fire update said: "The strategy for fighting this fire remains full suppression. Firefighter and public safety remain top priorities. Unpredictable fire behavior requires crews to remain aware of and quickly respond to changes in their situation. Firefighters will continue their operations on the fire's flanks to protect values at risk in the area. Efforts are being made to keep the fire away from State Route 67." What Happens Next Fire suppression efforts will continue. Some light rain showers were expected on Tuesday, but fire officials warned significant precipitation wasn't likely.
