One Hiker Is Dead Following a Flash Flood in the Grand Canyon

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One person is dead and several dozen are lucky to be alive after heavy monsoons flooded parts of Grand Canyon National Park.

On Sunday, Park Service officials recovered the body of Chenoa Nickerson, 33, an Arizona woman who had been swept into Havasu Creek by a flash flood on the afternoon of Thursday, August 22. According to an official release, Nickerson was discovered at mile 176 of the Colorado River by a commercial rafting trip—nearly 20 miles downstream from where she had gone missing.

Nickerson’s family revealed the news in a brief statement on social media, before asking for privacy. “Chenoa’s light will forever be a part of all of us, and we will ensure that her spirit continues to shine brightly,” read the statement. “Her memory will never fade, and we will honor her by carrying forward the joy and love she brought into all of our lives.”

Nickerson’s recovery marked a grim bookend to a terrifying ordeal and massive rescue effort that impacted more than 100 people on the Havasupai Reservation, which is located on the southern flank of Grand Canyon National Park. On Thursday afternoon, heavy rains lead to the catastrophic flooding of Havasu Creek, the tributary that flows over Havasupai Falls, across the reservation, and through a slot canyon on its way to the Colorado River. The floods washed through an area with campgrounds and a popular hiking trail.

Videos of the creek showed the usually calm waters, known for their ethereal blue tint, transformed into a muddy and raging torrent. The creek, which is a popular destination for tourists, is prone to flash floods. In March, 2023, a spring storm transformed the area into a raging torrent and stranded several dozen hikers. A 1996 report by the United States Geological Society titled Historical Flooding in Havasu Creek references major floods in 1990, 1992, and 1993.

BREAKING: Catastrophic flooding has cut off all access to Supai and Havasupai Falls. The tribal council has decided to close their lands. Gov. Hobbs has activated the national guard to assist. Hundreds of hikers are still stranded. Watch at 5 for the latest.@FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/2LJ3Zhi9aJ

— Trenton Hooker (@trentonhooker) August 24, 2024

Rochelle Tilousi, a local resident, told Fox 10 Phoenix that Thursday morning had been clear and sunny, but storm clouds rolled in around 11 A.M. and quickly doused the area with rain. The downpour lasted for 30 minutes, she said, and transformed the dry landscape into a flood zone.

“As soon as that flood came through, a huge piece of cottonwood tree came through and knocked the whole culvert through,” she said. “Kids were stranded. Visitors were stranded on this side where our house is.”

LaTricia Eubanks, 49, a tourist from Mississippi, told AZ Central that her hike turned into a “life or death” situation after she saw waterfalls begin to burst over the side of the canyon amid the downpour. The mixture of water and mud transformed the river into a brown torrent, she said. “That’s when I realized this was not just a thunderstorm that was going to go away. I knew we were about to be in big trouble,” she said.

A visitor named Lauren Fischbeck told local media that she sought refuge atop a picnic table after oncoming floodwaters inundated a campground. “The picnic table I was on started moving because the water level had gone up to where the seats were, and then kept on rising,” she said. “So then, it started pushing it towards where the trees were. So I was nervous. I got off and just started holding on to a tree.”

VIDEO from the dangerous flash flood at Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon this week. Sent to me from hiker Latricia Mimbs who was rescued.

One woman is still missing who was swept in.

The reservation town of Supai, still recovering from extensive damage. @abc15 pic.twitter.com/i5VTMgFS9q

— Lillian Donahue (@LillianDonahue) August 25, 2024

Shruti Chopra, a visitor trapped in the area, told CNN that she and her husband sought refuge in a cove near the creek when the rain began to fall. The two banded together with a family of four and worked together to reach higher ground. “For three hours we crossed rivers, formed human chains, and hacked through the thorny bushes and cacti,” she said.

Visitors congregated in Supai Village, which is approximately 11 miles from the Colorado River. Eubanks said 200 or so drenched tourists stayed overnight in a school cafeteria.

Tribal leaders closed the area to additional visitors and eventually declared a state of emergency. On Friday, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs ordered the Arizona National Guard to help rescue those who were stranded. The next day, crews flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter evacuated 104 tourists and tribal members from Havasupai Village.

Nickerson disappeared on Thursday shortly after the flooding began. Officials said that she had been hiking alongside her husband along Havasu Creek approximately 100 yards upstream from its confluence with the Colorado River. Along that stretch, the creek passes through a narrow canyon with steep rock walls. According to the Los Angeles Times, a rafting group rescued Nickerson’s husband. The two had been visiting the canyon from Gilbert, a suburban community outside Phoenix.

Nickerson’s death comes after a string of fatalities in the park—according to The Associated Press, hers is the 12th of 2024. Visitors have died from a variety of causes, including heat, dehydration, and falls. Earlier this month a man named Justin Guthrie, 43, died while BASE jumping into the canyon.