Grand Canyon lifted the Mather Campground fire ban on November 4. The water is still off, and the park's own pages disagree about fires.

If you’re camping at Mather this month, you can probably have a fire in the ring again, but you still can’t fill a water jug at your site. Grand Canyon rescinded its South Rim Stage 2 fire restrictions on November 4, and Mather is still dry camping only. We read the park’s pages on November 9, 2026.

What changed on November 4

The park’s news release lifts Stage 2 on the South Rim “effective immediately.” Stage 2 went in because the park didn’t have the water to fight fires. The release says ongoing water hauling now lets it drop the extra restrictions.

On Mather, it says: “Fire restrictions at Mather Campground have also been lifted; however, campfires are permitted only in established campfire rings.”

Stage 1 stays in effect on the South Rim, and the North Rim stays in Stage 2 for the rest of the 2026 season. Under the park’s year-round Stage 1 rule, a campfire has to be in a designated ring inside a maintained campground. Campfires are never allowed below the rim.

Where the park disagrees with itself

The operations update page is where most people check campground status. It also says “Last updated: November 4, 2026.” Its Mather entry still reads: “Due to Stage 4 water restrictions, Mather Campground is dry camping only until further notice. All outdoor wood fires are prohibited.”

So two park pages dated the same day give opposite answers on wood fires at Mather. The release is newer news and more specific, and it reads like the campground page just hasn’t caught up. That’s our guess, though, not something the park has said. Ask at the Mather kiosk before you light anything. The ranger on duty and the sign at the kiosk beat both pages, and ours.

What hasn’t changed: water

The same release says Stage 4 water conservation measures “remain in place” and asks visitors to bring their own water. The operations page still lists:

• Mather: dry camping only, no hookups.
• Camper Services (showers and coin laundry): closed.
• Trailer Village: closed.

The park’s recovery page, last updated November 5, lists a potable water access point at the Mather Campground entrance. Its timeline: the new treatment plant producing treated water “by Nov. 16,” distribution to residents “potentially beginning by Thanksgiving,” and about 45 days after distribution starts to refill the storage tanks. It calls these dates tentative.

That’s the same gap we flagged in September. The dates are for the plant and for residents. None of the three pages gives a date for water at the campground sites.

What to do

• Don’t count on campground water this year. The park has given no date for it. If distribution starts at Thanksgiving, the park’s own estimate puts full tanks about 45 days later.
• Arrive with your tanks and jugs full. Our dump stations and fresh water guide covers filling up before you climb to the rim, and the Arizona free camping page covers public land outside the park.
• Ask about fires at the kiosk before you buy wood.
• Reserve if you can. The operations page says Mather reservations are recommended through November 30, and 15 first-come sites go on sale at the campground office at 8 am each day.

Desert View Campground is closed for the season. The park lists its 2027 season as April 10 to October 15, 2027.