River Campsites in Grand Canyon National Park
Science Center Objects
Sandbars have been used as campsites by river runners and hikers since the first expeditions to the region more than 100 years ago. Sandbar campsites continue to be an important part of the recreational experience for the more than 25,000 hikers and river runners that visit the Colorado River corridor each year. Because the Colorado River is dominated by bedrock cliffs and steep talus slopes, sandbars provide unique areas along the river that are flat, relatively free of vegetation, easily accessible by river runners, and able to withstand high usage with negligible impact.
Campsite Monitoring
Since 1990, the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center in cooperation with Northern Arizona University has been monitoring sandbars by topographic survey (http://www.gcmrc.gov/sandbar/). Beginning in 1998, campsite area has also been measured on a subset of the sandbar monitoring sites. Campsite areas are defined as areas that are flat (less than 8 degree slope), smooth (not rocky), and clear of dense vegetation. This monitoring has shown changes in campsite area caused by vegetation expansion and sandbar erosion/deposition.
Photograph of sandbar about 45 miles downstream from Lees Ferry, Arizona showing river party camping on large sandbar deposited by the 2008 high-flow experiment (left) and again in August 2011 (right) when the size of the sandbar and campsite was much smaller . (Credit: USGS. Public domain.)
Data and Resources
Campsites in Grand Canyon National Park:
Web application for viewing campsites and other geospatial data in Grand Canyon: https://grandcanyon.usgs.gov/gisapps/cmv-app-master-wret/viewer/index.html
Web application for viewing the predicted level of inundation for a 41,000 ft3/s high-flow experiment: https://grandcanyon.usgs.gov/portal/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=13c8070db92046d4ac3825decb1f0ca7
Sandbar and campsite monitoring photographs: https://grandcanyon.usgs.gov/gisapps/sandbarphotoviewer/RemoteCameraTimeSeries.html
Grand Canyon River Guides Adopt-a-beach photographs: https://grandcanyon.usgs.gov/gisapps/adopt-a-beach/index.html
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Date published: May 10, 2021Status: ActiveAirborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
A high-resolution image collection in 2021 will be the most recent in a rich archive of aerial imagery that are used to track changes of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Imagery will be acquired from an airplane in Grand Canyon National Park along the Colorado River corridor and the Little Colorado River starting Memorial Day weekend and continuing through the first week of June 2021. This...
Contacts: Joel B Sankey, Ph.D., Laura DurningAttribution: Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center -
Date published: August 3, 2019Status: ActiveRiver Geomorphology and Geomorphic Change
River channels and their adjacent floodplains are ever evolving in form and composition in response to changing patterns of streamflow, the quantity and size of supplied sediment, and feedbacks with the riparian and aquatic ecosystems. Changes in channel form affect aquatic and riparian habitats, which are important for plants, animals, and insects. Erosion and deposition of river channels and...
Contacts: Paul Grams, Ph.D., David J Topping, Keith A Kohl, Daniel Buscombe, Matt Kaplinskii, Joseph E. HazelAttribution: Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center -
Date published: August 3, 2019Status: ActiveSediment Storage in Grand Canyon
The sandbars exposed along the shoreline of the Colorado River represent only a small fraction of the sand deposits in Grand Canyon, most of which are on the bed of the river in eddies and the channel. Current management practice includes efforts to maintain and build sandbars by releasing high flows from Glen Canyon Dam that are timed to coincide with periods of fine-sediment supply from...
Contacts: Paul Grams, Ph.D., Robert Tusso, Keith A Kohl, David J Topping, Joseph E. Hazel, Jr, Daniel Buscombe, Matt KaplinskiAttribution: Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center -
Date published: November 1, 2018Status: ActiveHigh-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Glen Canyon Dam has altered flow and fine sediment (sand, silt, and clay) dynamics of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Before the dam, the Colorado River experienced highly variable flows and carried a large amount of sediment through Grand Canyon, which maintained sandbars (highly valued camping areas in Grand Canyon) and provided sand that protected archeological and cultural sites from...
Attribution: Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center -
Date published: December 8, 2016Status: ActiveGrand Canyon Sandbar Monitoring
Since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, the amount of sand supplied to Grand Canyon National Park has been reduced by more than 90 percent. The Paria River, a tributary to the Colorado River 15 miles downstream from the dam, is now the single most important supplier of sand to the Colorado River within the Park. This large reduction in sand supply has resulted in substantial decrease...
Contacts: Paul Grams, Ph.D., Robert Tusso, Keith A Kohl, Joseph E. Hazel, Jr., Daniel Buscombe, Matt KaplinskiAttribution: Ecosystems, Southwest Biological Science Center
Quantifying geomorphic and vegetation change at sandbar campsites in response to flow regulation and controlled floods, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, USA, are an important recreational resource used as campsites by over 25,000 river runners and hikers annually. The number and size of campsites decreased following the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 due to reductions of sediment that replenish sandbars and increases in...
Hadley, Daniel R.; Grams, Paul E.; Kaplinski, Matthew A.
Geomorphology and vegetation change at Colorado River campsites, Marble and Grand Canyons, Arizona
Sandbars along the Colorado River are used as campsites by river runners and hikers and are an important recreational resource within Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Regulation of the flow of river water through Glen Canyon Dam has reduced the amount of sediment available to be deposited as sandbars, has reduced the magnitude and frequency of...
Hadley, Daniel R.; Grams, Paul E.; Kaplinski, Matthew A.; Hazel, Joseph E.; Parnell, Roderic A.
Automated remote cameras for monitoring alluvial sandbars on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Automated camera systems deployed at 43 remote locations along the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are used to document sandbar erosion and deposition that are associated with the operations of Glen Canyon Dam. The camera systems, which can operate independently for a year or more, consist of a digital camera...
Grams, Paul E.; Tusso, Robert B.; Buscombe, Daniel
Colorado River campsite monitoring, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1998-2012
River rafting trips and hikers use sandbars along the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons as campsites. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on campsite areas on sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Campsite area was measured annually from 1998 to 2012 at 37 study sites...
Kaplinski, Matt; Hazel, Joe; Parnell, Rod; Hadley, Daniel R.; Grams, Paul
Sandbar Response in Marble and Grand Canyons, Arizona, Following the 2008 High-Flow Experiment on the Colorado River
A 60-hour release of water at 1,203 cubic meters per second (m3/s) from Glen Canyon Dam in March 2008 provided an opportunity to analyze channel-margin response at discharge levels above the normal, diurnally fluctuating releases for hydropower plant operations. We compare measurements at sandbars and associated campsites along the mainstem...
Hazel, Joseph E.; Grams, Paul E.; Schmidt, John C.; Kaplinski, Matt-
Date published: January 1, 2018Geomorphology and Campsite Data, Colorado River, Marble and Grand Canyon, Arizona
This ESRI geodatabase consists of 5 feature datsets with 23 individual polygon feature classes and two raster datasets. A master campsite polygon feature class represents the boundaries of campsites identified in the 1973, 1984, and 1991 campsite inventories of the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The other polygon feature classes represent camp locations along the Colorado...
Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center