The Dragon Bravo fire was the largest wildfire in the lower 48 states during the 2025 wildfire season. It covered 145,500 acres along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Unlike fires of a previous generation this was a stand replacing landscape fire. Landscape fires burn hotter and leave less unburned patches. Seeds of trees that depend on fires to provide clearing that normally would survive a fire do not survive the hotter temperatures. The ground fuses into an impenetrable layer that increases runoff. This fire also burned down into the Canyon, burning cactus and other species of vegetation that are not fire adapted at all. These landscape fires are fundamentally different with impacts that are much greater and longer lasting.
One of the early fires of this type was the Conchas Fire in New Mexico in the Jemez Mountains on the west side of the Rio Grande in 2011. It was the largest wildfire ever recorded in New Mexico at that time. The historic Dixon Orchard on the west side of the Rio Grande was largely spared. But what came after was unexpected. The orchard was located at the mouth of Cochiti Canyon. But the normal small stream in the canyon suffered back to back floods that swept away apple trees and buried others in several feet of sediment. The recovery efforts and the orchard were abandoned after the floods.
The Hermits Peak - Calf Canyon Fire of 2022 was larger than the Conchas and is now the largest wildfire on record in New Mexico history. It was stopped before reaching the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico but impacted the Gallinas River. The Gallinas River is a small river that is the water supply along with three reservoirs for Las Vegas. The water treatment plant for the town is no longer capable of treating the water. Estimates to rebuild the plant are over $100 million and it will not be operational for several years.
The watersheds of the Grand Canyon are much steeper and more rugged than either of the New Mexico landscape fires. In December of 1966 a flash flood originating on the North Rim had its greatest impacts on Milk Creek and Dragon Creek that feed into Crystal Creek. This flood transformed the riffle of Crystal Rapid into one of the largest rapids in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service warns of impacts to watersheds from Rider Canyon (House Rock Wash) to Crystal Creek . This is a distance of over 80 river miles of the Grand Canyon’s 277 miles of the Colorado River. The National Park notes “Visitors should exercise extreme caution in all affected watersheds during monsoon season, as burned areas are more prone to flash flooding and debris flows.”
It is likely that debris flows will change the character of several rapids. Some camps like the one at House Rock are low lying at the mouth of a wash that was affected and prone to debris flows. Ash from the Dragon Bravo Fire is already discoloring the beaches in Grand Canyon. As we move into spring snow storms transitioning into rain storms during this summer’s monsoon season (usually June through September), the flash flood risks will increase. With landscape fires it takes longer for vegetation to recover so it will be several years before the danger starts to recede. The National Park Service has created the Grand Canyon River Alert system to warn people in the canyon of such hazards in a timely fashion.
The groundwater flows from north to south so that most springs are located on the north side of the river. The water supply for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is Roaring Springs located along the North Kaibab Trail below the North Rim. While the fire did not reach Roaring Springs, the fire burned much of the watershed that feeds the spring. All the water sources between House Rock Rapid and Crystal Rapid, including the water taps at the Phantom Ranch boat beach could be adversely impacted.
Be prepared by keeping up to date with which water sources are not contaminated. Fill up more often in case the planned place for getting water is not viable. If in doubt, carry an extra amount of water. Be sure to scout rapids to look for changes from House Rock to Crystal. Avoid camping in low lying areas near washes that may have been impacted by the fire especially if there is the possibility of rain. Share information with other river runners.