Satellite system delivers critical alerts to hikers deep in Grand Canyon

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ (AZFamily) — Emergency management officials say they have created a new emergency alert system for hikers and campers in the Grand Canyon who may be in the area with no cellphone service.

This system will provide real-time alerts to people in the canyon for incidents like flash flooding, extreme weather conditions, and, in this week’s case, wildfires.

Nate Loper knows the Grand Canyon well. He has been giving tours in the area for nearly 15 years. “There are very few places in the canyon, once you go below the rim, where we have good cell service,” Loper said. “We do tours daily up on the rim. We also lead hiking and backpacking trips down in and across the Grand Canyon.”

He says the cellphone service is extremely spotty throughout the canyon. “You’re in the wilderness-like environment, and so there are inherent risks in being in a place like that,” he said.

To mitigate any potential risks, a new tool called the Grand Canyon River Alert System was created by the U.S. Geological Survey, Coconino County, National Weather Service and National Park Service. It’s a system they’re asking visitors to sign up for.

It will send hazard-related alerts, like extreme weather events, to satellite messaging devices, like a Garmin, Spot or even newer iPhones that can connect to satellites.

This is critical information that people will now be getting, even if they are in a remote area. It’s the first system of its kind in the U.S. and a new way for the park service to communicate with people where cellphones can’t work.

Paul Grams is with the U.S. Geological Survey. He says alerts have gone out about the Dragon Bravo Fire raging through the North Rim. But they have never been able to reach people in the Grand Canyon with warnings like this before. Both he and Loper believe this could save lives.

“It gives you some information that you just don’t have access to when you’re on the river, about the severity of storm events and the likelihood for them to create flash floods or debris flows that could reach the river and impact a party on the river,” Grams said.

“People need to be prepared in an environment like that. So I think it’s crucial that you carry that kind of device,” Loper said.

Officials say it is critical to subscribe to these alerts before your trip to the canyon.

To subscribe for alerts, visitors can text GCRIVERALERTS to 928-707-7842 from the device you wish to subscribe to be added to the Grand Canyon River Alerts list. For more information, click/tap here.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.