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Extending the tourist season at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim would boost the local economy, study finds

(Rick Hossman | AP file photo) In this Feb. 22, 2005, file photo, with the North Rim in the background, tourists hike along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon, Ariz. Crews are drilling at the bottom of the Grand Canyon to test the idea of shifting the area where water is drawn to serve millions of people at the park’s popular South Rim. The national park’s water supply comes from a natural spring that flows through 12.5 miles of pipeline. But the 1960s aluminum pipeline to the South Rim twists and turns around trails and through rocky terrain, frequently breaking and leaking.

By The Associated Press
  | Feb. 7, 2019, 5:34 p.m.
| Updated: 5:46 p.m.

Flagstaff, Ariz. • A new study says extending the tourist season at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim by a month would boost the regional economy by $14 million.

The canyon's less popular North Rim is fully open less than half of the year, largely because of weather.

Tourism promoters in northern Arizona and southern Utah have been advocating for an extra two weeks in both October and May. The idea has gained traction recently.

Coconino County commissioned the study from Northern Arizona University. Researchers said Wednesday that a longer tourist season would bring nearly 38,000 visitors to a region that relies heavily on tourism and would support 183 jobs.

The study doesn’t factor in the cost to the national park or maintenance to the highway that leads to the North Rim.

By The Associated Press