TROPIC, Utah — For over 40 years, Canyon Trail Rides, a family-run business based in southern Utah, has been a beloved fixture at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
“I started this business in 1983, and it’s been a really good business,” said company founder Paul Mangum.
Paul began offering mule rides in Zion and Bryce Canyon in 1973, expanding to the North Rim a decade later.
However, on July 4, everything changed when lightning sparked the Dragon Bravo Fire.
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PHOTOS: Historic Grand Canyon lodge, other structures destroyed in wildfire
“The smoke was so thick you could hardly breathe,” said Paul’s son, Tawn Mangum.
On July 11, the Mangums evacuated their mules and staff and shut down operations at the North Rim.
“We take 70 to 80 people a day from May to October, and we’re shut down,” Tawn said. “I don't know what we're going to do.”
The fire has burned over 5,700 acres and destroyed dozens of structures — including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, the only hotel on the North Rim, along with the visitor center and employee housing.
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It’s the second time the lodge has burned since it was built in 1927; the first fire was a kitchen fire that damaged it in 1932.
Even though the North Rim sees only 10 percent of the park’s visitors, it’s home for the Mangums.
“I met my wife there, raised our three kids there. It’s our second home,” Tawn said.
With the fire still burning, the future of Canyon Trail Rides at the Grand Canyon’s north rim is uncertain.
“It’s real sad,” Paul said. “What I feel most bad about is my employees, because they’re out of a job now.”
