NAU Grand Canyon Semester

08/30/2026

GCNP is asking for help locating 20 missing persons.

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REQUESTED

The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.

If you know of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or if you had a campground reservation in the affected area, please contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB).

This includes people who may have been:
• Traveling the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch
• Staying at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground
• Traveling through “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch

📞 NPS ISB Tip Line: 888-653-0009
📧 Email: [email protected]

Please provide any information you have, including a person’s name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when they were last known to be in the area. You do not have to provide your name.

Full news release: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/public-assistance-requested-to-account-for-individuals-following-grand-canyon-flash-flood.htm

08/30/2026

GCS '26 started off with a trip to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Post Dragon Bravo Fire the park looks great! The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is open and needs visitation. The lodge was destroyed but the park still stands. Nature is resilient. In some places you would not even know there was a fire. The wildlife were out and about. The CA condor were out, so were the Bison. GCS volunteered with GCNP and The Grand Canyon Trust to remove tangled and burnt fencing that posed a threat to wildlife such as bison. It's these kinds of partnerships that keeps GCS thriving as an experiential learning semester. Visit Grand Canyon National Park it needs you!

03/11/2026

GCS is an outdoor experiential learning program. If you want to see what that looks like, watch this video made by a 2024 alumna. What you might notice is students meeting with professionals in the field, meeting with personnel from GCNP, and taking a lot of agency for their learning. You might also notice some pretty fun adventures. Also, as you might already know that the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was burned by a devastating forest fire last summer. Some of the places in this video are completely burned now, including parts of the North Rim campground. The dedicated staff at GCNP have been working hard to rebuild the infrastructure on the North Rim and we have learned that the North Rim will triumphantly open to visitors May 15th, 2026. Also of note is that our upcoming GCS 2026 program will be returning to the North Rim in 2026 to lend a hand at rebuilding some of the lost and damaged infrastructure there. We have room for just one or two more students in this amazing program. Reach out and apply! grand Grand Canyon Conservancy grand Grand Canyon Trust grand Grand Canyon National Park

11/13/2025

This headline should read: "No one knows what's going on." Upper and Lower basin states have not been able to come to an agreement on how to cut water use from the Colorado River. The federal government is expected to step in in 2026 and make water restrictions, but it does not seem like they know what to do either. No one seems to know what the future holds for the Colorado River and the 40 Million people and seven states that it serves including AZ, CA And CO.

The seven states in the Colorado River Basin were unable to reach an agreement on the river’s management, but talks continue.

11/10/2025

GCS 2026 Application in now open! Use this link for information about the program and to access the application. Email questions to [email protected]

– Maddie, GCS 2012 from Flagstaff, Arizona The Grand Canyon Semester offers a life-changing learning experience in the high mountains of northern Arizona and the deep canyon country of the Colorado…

12/10/2024

GCS started in 1978 and is still going strong in 2024. One look at these pictures and you will know why we keep doing this. Anne Zwinger said there is something "down there." Down there is so vital, so important, so beautiful, so life affirming that it invokes our fierce protection instincts. We do it for the people "up here" and for the "down there."

12/02/2024

Time flies, as the saying goes. The plane we call GCS took flight, soared at 30,000 ft, and now we are bringing it down for a landing. SO many trips, so much learning, so much personal transformation. This is a slightly random photo dump. Some are photos from our study of land management practices at Hat Ranch, a historic property previously owned the Roosevelt family, yes those Roosevelts, and currently owned by NAU. Some pics are from our study of post fire flooding on Mt. Elden. Oh, and there is a picture with a horse and cat in the same frame! Not sure it gets better than that! Hope you enjoy!

10/20/2024

The Colorado River is an ecosystem of rock and water, substrate and vegetation, wildlife species and people. When we are there we see rocks and a flowing river. What we don't see as readily is the myriad people that are managing this landscape to keep it protected and functioning. I am thinking now about every person that makes a trip like this possible. From dam operators to NPS employees, to river guides, hydrologists, fish biologists, wildlife biologists, entomologists, river outfitters far from the canyon, helicopter pilots, helicopter mechanics, Indigenous tribes, Indigenous leaders, park rangers, search and rescue, the department of public safety, EMT's, paramedics, all the way down to your van driver who dropped you off or picked you up. The Grand Canyon is an ecosystem of people as much as it is an ecosystem of rock, water, and wildlife. To all the PEOPLE of the Grand Canyon, thank you.

09/30/2024

Drought is a constant threat here in the West. One of our largest reservoirs Lake Powell is only 40% full. Two years ago it was 25% full. In GCS we study all the issues impacting the Colorado Plateau. This is how we study dam and reservoir management, by boat. We can educate the mind by reading papers and we can educate the heart and body by being out on the water paddling on the lake and through side canyons. On this trip students studied dam management, lake levels, tourism, and invasive species management such as quagga mussels and striped bass, all the while making lasting memories with this environment. For more pics follow us on Instagram

08/30/2024

Curious about GCS? Curious what experiential education looks like? Well here you go! It looks like lots of smiles, learning outdoors, time for reflection, building relationships, building community, opportunity to discover the world and one's place in it. Thank you for following us and enjoy this sneak peek into GCS 2024.