What happened in 1983 to make Grand Canyon flood?

If you travel with Hatch on a Grand Canyon rafting trip, you may hear harrowing tales of the 1983 flood that struck the river that summer. That year, late winter storms built up a thick layer of snowpack in the Rocky Mountains. Then, the temperatures spiked and the snow quickly melted, flushing water down the tributaries that feed into the Colorado River. 

Lake Powell became so inundated with snowmelt that the team managing Glen Canyon Dam extended the top of the dam’s gates using plywood. They also opened the dam’s spillways to allow additional water to bypass the dam, even though doing so would cause damage. It took until July for the lake level to stop increasing, allowing dam managers to close the spillways and eventually decrease the size of the releases through the dam.

The water that was released into Grand Canyon via Glen Canyon dam during this extraordinary event flooded camps and other sites downstream. It also propelled Kenton Grua’s boat, the Emerald Mile, into history as the fastest boat ever to travel through the Grand Canyon. (The Park Service was none too pleased with their unannounced launch!)

For this week’s Flashback Friday, we thought we would share some photos from this epic 1983 flood courtesy of Robert Dunlap.

Colorado River Rapids

A Hatch boat navigating the intense rapids in the Colorado River during the 1983 flood.

The rapids normally don’t have waves that dwarf the raft, though they can feel bigger when you’re in the boat.

Redwall Cavern

A boat motoring into Redwall Cavern. This large limestone cave is normally a fun place for river trips to stop and play as its interior is filled with an enormous sandy beach.

What Redwall Cavern normally looks like. Notice the rafts in the ditance peeking over the sand dune. Photo: Kelsey Pfendler.

Deer Creek Falls

Boats at the base of Deer Creek falls. The swimming hole at the base of this waterfall is normally surrounded by dry land and accessible only by foot.

Normally everyone has to hike a short distance up a slight incline to reach the base of Deer Creek Falls which are 75ft tall. Photo: Megan Ford-Fyffe.

For more detailed coverage of what happened in 1983, check out this AZ Central article from 2019.

Ready to get on the river and see exactly how different Redwall Cavern and Deer Creek Falls look when they aren’t flooded?

Book a trip to get up close and personal with these and other amazing places in Grand Canyon!