Park service officials said all footbridges along Bright Angel Creek were destroyed in the flooding that began Saturday, eliminating all crossings for hikers. Campsites and hiking paths in the vicinity were closed until further notice.
Images show rivers of muddy water barreling through lowlands, carrying cabins away from campsites, along with branches and other debris.
Evacuated visitors were still reeling from the experience.
David Gregory told NBC News that he crossed a footbridge to safety from Phantom Ranch before flooding wrecked the structure. He was then airlifted out of the area.
“It was kind of crazy hearing after that the bridge that we crossed was wiped out — kind of makes you think that maybe we should have been in more of a panic,” he said after he was taken to safety with about 50 other people.
Another video showed a man on a footbridge marveling at the natural disaster under his feet.
“We’re cooked!” the man said.
The park service was asking for the public’s assistance in identifying anyone who may have been traveling through the affected area.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of every person unaccounted for after the flash flooding at the Grand Canyon,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote Sunday on X.
Hobbs said the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and Coconino County Emergency Management were assisting the park service in its search.
Rich Rudow, 61, an experienced canyoneer who has been exploring the Grand Canyon for nearly 40 years, said an area known as “The Box” near Phantom Ranch would have been especially dangerous for hikers during the flash flood.
“The Box” is a roughly 2-mile section of trail along Bright Angel Canyon that is very narrow and would have been effectively inescapable when the flash flood came through because it is encapsulated by tall rock walls.
“There’s no way to climb up and get above floodwater,” Rudow said. “You’re trapped in that particular area.”
Park experts know that “this is the most dangerous area for this kind of event” and that it’s “an area you cannot escape,” Rudow added.
Satellite GPS devices that travelers can use for emergency alerts may not have been useful within “The Box” because high cliff walls can block signals and messages may have been delayed, he said.
Tourists check out of the El Tovar Hotel on Monday as lodging along the rim of the canyon was shut down because of flooding at Grand Canyon National Park.Josh Biggs / AP
Rudow was in the park during evacuations over the weekend and was there again Monday photographing incoming storms. He spoke to two workers on the pipeline construction project who told him their lodging and worksite materials were washed away.
“Everything that was being used in the construction project blew into the river, including the cabins they were staying in,” Rudow said.
Last year, there were 11 deaths in Grand Canyon National Park, nearly 850 medical service incidents and about 230 search-and-rescue efforts, according to a National Park Summary.
The flash flood that hit Phantom Ranch was particularly bad, Rudow said.
“I’ve seen hundreds of flash floods in Grand Canyon National Park — literally hundreds,” Rudow said. “This is uncharacteristically large, larger than anything I’ve seen personally.”
Searchers will continue to look for the missing person, Black, the incident commander, said Monday evening. Continued rain Monday that led to a further flood threat has hampered efforts, he said.
“We are absolutely holding out hope that that person is still alive,” Black said.