Grand Canyon National Park Seeks Comment on Proposed Grand Canyon Greenway Trail Segments

Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Joseph F. Alston today announced the release of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed construction of two trail segments as part of the Grand Canyon Greenway from Canyon View Information Plaza (CVIP), the new orientation/transportation hub within Grand Canyon National Park on the South Rim, to the future Grand Canyon Transit Center in Tusayan (located near the park boundary).

The park's 1995 General Management Plan includes a system of Greenway trails. These multi-use trails that would make up the Grand Canyon Greenway (Greenway), may total as much as 73 miles in length, 28 miles on the North Rim and 45 miles on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The Greenway is integral to the park's future mass transit system and offers a wider range of transit options into and around the park than currently available.

The EA analyzes two alternatives: a No Action Alternative (Alternative A) and the Proposed Action (Alternative B). Alternative B, the agency's preferred alternative, proposes to construct 2.3 miles of trail in previously undisturbed areas in Grand Canyon National Park to complete a seven-mile trail connecting the park with the town of Tusayan as mentioned above. The other 4.7 miles of this seven-mile trail were analyzed and previously covered under a Categorical Exclusion.

The Greenway on the South Rim is being constructed in several phases. The first three phases are in areas of Grand Canyon Village. Phase I consists of a trail from Yavapai Point to the westernmost overlook on Desert View Drive (2 miles) - the first segment of this trail from Yavapai Point to Mather Point was completed and opened to the public in August 2001. The remaining segment from Mather Point to Pipe Creek Vista Overlook (formally referred to as the westernmost overlook) on Desert View Drive is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by April 2002. Phase II consists of a trail from CVIP to the Grand Canyon Village (2 miles). Phase III includes a trail from CVIP to the Grand Canyon Transit Center (7 miles).

The EA document can be found on the Grand Canyon National Park website, www.nps.gov/grca/compliance/. Comments will be accepted for 30 days and should be sent to the Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023, Attn: Sara White, Chief Compliance Officer by close of business on January 2, 2002. For questions or additional information about this project, please contact Michael Terzich, Grand Canyon National Park Project Manager at (928) 774-3402. Additional information on the Greenway can also be found at www.nps.gov/grca/greenway/.