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.
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
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Airborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
River Geomorphology and Geomorphic Change
Sediment Storage in Grand Canyon
High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Grand Canyon Sandbar Monitoring
- Overview
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.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.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
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Airborne 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 is used to track changes of the Colorado River in the 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...River 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...Sediment 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...High-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...Grand 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 in... - Data
- Publications