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1.0
FALSE
Campsites_DFGeomorphStats_FINAL
34180.394300
251288.999500
527887.156000
656557.149400
1
002
Projected
GCS_NAD_1983_2011
Linear Unit: Meter (1.000000)
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ItemDescription
Erica P Byerley
U.S. Geological Survey, SOUTHWEST REGION
Geographer
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
AZ
86001
US
ebyerley@usgs.gov
20240320
ArcGIS Metadata
1.0
GS ScienceBase
U.S. Geological Survey
1-888-275-8747
Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
Denver
CO
80225
US
sciencebase@usgs.gov
None
Digital Data
https://doi.org/10.5066/xxxxxxxx
https://doi.org/10.5066/xxxxxxxx
Enterprise Geodatabase Feature Class
Geomorphic Attributes of Campsites in Grand Canyon
2024-04-04
Erica P. Byerley
Thomas M. Gushue
Paul Grams
vector digital data
This dataset represents 505 campsites along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon with associated debris flow probabilities calculated for approximately a 100-year period (Griffiths and others, 2004) and geomorphic attributes mapped by the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) (Hadley and others, 2018). The campsite polygons were developed as part of a master campsite database that was a collaborative effort to maintain between the National Park Service in Grand Canyon National Park and the USGS GCMRC. Debris flow probabilities have been added as an attribute from ungauged tributary watersheds published in 2004 (Griffiths and others, 2004). Area and percentages of campsites on geomorphic units comprising debris fans were calculated based on a pre-existing geomorphic basemap (Hadley and others, 2018). Due to ongoing environmental variability, geomorphic change, and sediment storage fluctuation in the river corridor, campsite boundary and attribute accuracy may change over time.
Campsites along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon are used on a nearly daily basis by hikers and river recreators. During summer monsoon season, thunderstorms produce high intensity and localized rainfall, frequently causing debris flows and flash floods in tributaries of the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons. Debris flows and flash floods initiate rapidly and can transport sediment ranging from mud to car-sized boulders to debris fans which are commonly used for camping. These events present an extreme hazard to campers and have resulted in damage to property, injuries, and fatalities. Associated debris flow probabilities and geomorphic information can be used to help determine the relative susceptibility of campsites to debris flows and flash floods. This dataset is intended to assist people in making better-informed decisions while in the backcountry.
The National Park Service (NPS) and Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) help led a collaborative effort with the U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (USGS GCMRC) from 2006 through 2009 to catalog and map all known river campsites along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. This collaborative effort was based on even earlier campsite inventories conducted in 1973 (Weeden) and again in the 1990s (Lisa Kearsley) as part of the Glen Canyon Environment Studies research effort funded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Glen Canyon Dam unit. These and other earlier campsite surveys were synthesized by Helen Fairley (USGS GCMRC, unpublished) into a master list of campsites that then guided the NPS-USGS collaborative work conducted in the 2000s. Additional documentation referring to these earlier campsites surveys may be added as addendums to this data release.
In 2021 - 2022, GRCA conducted a series of campsite visitation surveys as part of their on-going monitoring program, using the original, unpublished campsite monitoring inventory data set as the basis and source for this more recent work. During this series of field efforts, the campsite boundaries originally developed between the years of 2006 and 2009 were not adjusted or modified, however, some names of camps and other existing attributes were edited, and new attributes were developed by NPS to assist with their administrative and monitoring procedures. These NPS administrative attributes are NOT include in this dataset release, and do not have utility for the purposes of our work.
Erica P Byerley
U.S. Geological Survey, SOUTHWEST REGION
Geographer
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
AZ
86001
US
ebyerley@usgs.gov
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park
Glen Canyon
Marble Canyon
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Arizona
biota
ISO 19115 Topic Category
campsite
river
backcountry
geomorphology
geomorphic units
recreation
biota
campsite
river
backcountry
geomorphology
geomorphic units
recreation
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park
Glen Canyon
Marble Canyon
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Arizona
None. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
None. Please see 'Distribution Info' for details.
Geomorphology and Campsite Data, Colorado River, Marble and Grand Canyon, Arizona
2018
Joseph Hazel
Robert P. Ross
Matthew A. Kaplinski
Paul E Grams
Rod Parnell
Daniel Hadley
Thomas Gushue
Helen C. Fairley
U.S. Geological Survey
https://www.sciencebase.gov
dataset
https://doi.org/10.5066/f7fj2fqq
Effects of Glen Canyon Dam on Colorado River sand deposits used as campsites in Grand Canyon National Park, USA
Lisa H. Kearsley
John C. Schmidt
Katherine D. Warren
publication
Journal article in Regulated Rivers Research & Management, Vol. 9, 137-149 (1994)
Frequency and initiation of debris flows in Grand Canyon, Arizona
2004-10-13
Peter G. Griffiths
Robert H. Webb
Theodore S. Melis
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
n/a
publication
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
vol. 109, issue F4
https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JF000077
true
-113.9272
-111.4910
36.9197
35.7437
observed
1973
2007
2008
2009
2021
2022
1
-113.927182
-111.490964
36.919678
35.743698
Campsite attributes can be dynamic over time with varying environmental conditions. Camp size, for example, can be highly variable. Heavy campsite use, flash flooding, vegetation encroachment, and relatively high daily fluctuating flows of the Colorado River may decrease camp size over time. Significantly high flows released from Glen Canyon Dam can rebuild beaches by returning sand to campsites, increasing camp size once water levels return to more typical lower flows. Daily high and low fluctuating flows regularly expose and cover significant areas of camps, also impacting size. Campsite polygon boundaries therefore change over time and may only be accurate at the time of digitization. Names and alternate names, while relatively stable, may reflect colloquial preferences. The accuracy of geomorphic attributes reflects the stability of the river channel, and debris flow probabilities, which are based on historical frequencies, may or may not remain accurate with changing climatic conditions regionally. Similarly, the geomorphic units data set is based on high-resolution aerial imagery, so while accurate at the time of the data acquisition, some minor changes in these units can be expected over time.
All input data sets used for the geospatial analysis were contained within the same geospatial framework, using the same map projections and datums, and were visually inspected to check for accuracy and logical consistency between the different data sets. The Debris Fan Probability information was generated as a smaller scale (1:24000), using USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle maps (Melis, 1995) versus the campsite polygons and river mile system attributes that are more specific to the Colorado River corridor and which were digitized at approximately 1:2000 using high-resolution digital imagery data collected at 20-cm resolution. The terminus of each debris flow probability watershed polygon was compared against the same base imagery data sets (2002, 2009, Davis, 2012 publication). The geospatial overlay of these data showed sufficient coincidence of the two data sets to allow for performing a spatial join for the purpose of combining attributes. No issues were found due to the difference in scales for the source data given this particular use case.
These data represent all known campsite locations as developed by antecedent studies in previous decades up through the collaborative work conducted by USGS-GCMRC and NPS-GRCA in the years spanning 2006 - 2009. These original geospatial data did not undergo a data release as they predated federal policies for doing so, however, we cite the Hadley and others (2018), where the campsite polygons were further documented and then published as part of that data release. Debris flow probabilities applied to campsite polygons is only for ungauged tributaries terminating into the Colorado River mainstem, and do not include the following major tributaries: Paria River, Little Colorado River, Kanab Creek, and Havasu Creek.
The digitized campsite polygons inherited base horizontal accuracies from the source digital imagery data with a stated positional accuracy of 19 cm (Davis, 2012).
N/A
The original campsite polygon data set was developed using on-screen digitizing techniques in a collaborative agreement project conducted by GCMRC and the National Park Service, Grand Canyon National Park between the years of 2006 and 2009. On-screen digitizing utilized published high-resolution digital imagery data for the Colorado River corridor between Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona and Pearce Ferry, Arizona near Lake Mead National Recreational Area. Ground-truth procedures for these campsite polygon data were then conducted through site visits on three separate river trips during the same time period. Additionally, the digital data sets where checked against other fully vetted geospatial data sets and attributes applied to add context to the campsite data set.
2009
Thomas Gushue
U.S. Geological Survey, SOUTHWEST REGION
IT Specialist
928-556-7370
928-556-7092
Mail Stop 9395, 2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
AZ
86001
US
tgushue@usgs.gov
This dataset was created by applying attributes of the tributary watershed dataset and geomorphic basemap to the pre-existing campsite dataset that was developed with the National Park Service.
In order to determine the area of each campsite that is on the various geomorphic units composing a debris fan, those units first needed to be selected out of the geomorphic basemap using “Select by Attributes”. Selected features were exported as an intermediate debris fan dataset. The "Identity" tool in ArcGIS Pro was used to apply these units to the campsite database, creating another intermediate dataset of campsites with these geomorphic units. Area fields were added for each geomorphic unit and populated using "Calculate Field" by copying the Shape Areas of each unit respectively within the intermediate campsite dataset. These fields were then joined back to the campsite database.
To determine the percentage of each campsite on the debris fan unit, the debris fan area field was divided by the Shape Area and multiplied by 100. The areas of all units associated with a debris fan were also added, divided by the Shape Area, and multiplied by 100 to determine the percentage of each campsite on the greater debris fan. Although all units used in this analysis could be potentially risky for campers, the debris fan unit is likely the most risky, so both of these statistics would be important to consider when choosing a camp during inclement weather.
Features were dissolved using the FID from the original campsite dataset and exported. Null values were replaced with 0's using "Calculate Field".
2023-06-01
Erica P Byerley
U.S. Geological Survey, SOUTHWEST REGION
Geographer
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
AZ
86001
US
ebyerley@usgs.gov
In order to apply the debris flow probabilities of the tributary watersheds to the campsites, the "Identity" tool was first used on the dissolved debris fan units layer and the tributary watershed source dataset in ArcGIS Pro. This enabled adding the debris flow probability field of the tributaries to the intermediate debris fan dataset. Campsites were spatially joined using "Intersect" with this dataset to add the debris flow probability field to campsites. Any campsites left with null debris flow probabilities were individually inspected to determine whether or not these campsites could be impacted by a debris flow from a tributary watershed. Any probabilities that were not applied automatically during processing were applied manually if located at the base of one of these tributary watersheds. This campsite dataset was then exported into the final dataset.
2023-06-05
Erica P Byerley
U.S. Geological Survey, SOUTHWEST REGION
Geographer
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff
AZ
86001
US
ebyerley@usgs.gov
This dataset provided a base of 505 campsites. Geomorphic attributes were added to this attribute table.
River Campsites in Grand Canyon
RiverCamps_GCMRC_NPS_2022
Jered R. Hansen (NPS GRCA)
Michael Kearsley (NPS GRCA)
vector digital data
observed
2006
2022
This dataset provided the debris flow probabilities of tributary watersheds that were applied to the campsites.
Frequency and initiation of debris flows in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Debris Flow Probabilities of Ungaged Tributaries
2004-10-13
Peter G. Griffiths
Robert H. Webb
Theodore S. Melis
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
n/a
publication
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
vol. 109, issue F4
https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JF000077
This dataset provided geomorphic classifications for the Colorado River and its banks, like eddy, debris fan, separation bar, etc.
Geomorphic Basemap for the River Corridor in Grand Canyon
GeoBase_Sites_0_225
vector digital data
Based imagery used for further geospatial analysis, on-screen digitizing of campsite polygons and ground-truth for accuracy assessment of data set.
Airborne digital-image data for monitoring the Colorado River corridor below Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona, 2009 - Image-mosaic production and comparison with 2002 and 2005 image mosaics
Digital Imagery of the Colorado River corridor (2009, 2002-2005)
2012
Philip A. Davis
US Geological Survey
n/a
publication
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20121139
ground condition
2002-06
2005-06
2009-06
0
Campsites_DFGeomorphStats_FINAL.shp Attribute Table
Table containing attribute information associated with the data set.
Producer Defined
Feature Class
0
OBJECTID
Internal feature number.
Esri
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
OBJECTID_1
OID
4
10
0
Shape
Feature geometry.
ESRI
Shape type.
Shape
Geometry
8
0
0
FID_RiverCamps_GCMRC_NPS_2022
Feature numbers from the source campsite database
Producer Defined
0
505
FID_RiverCamps_GCMRC_NPS_2022
Integer
4
10
0
CampName_Alt_1
Alternatively used camp name
no alternates available
Producer defined
Camp Name Alt 1
String
50
0
0
CampName_Alt_2
Alternatively used camp name
no alternates available
Producer defined
Camp Name Alt 2
String
50
0
0
CampName_Alt_3
Alternatively used camp name
no alternates available
Producer defined
Camp Name Alt 3
String
50
0
0
CampName
The most commonly used name of the campsite
Producer Defined
Camp Name
String
50
0
0
RiverMile
River mile of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon
Producer Defined
-14.18
274.35
River Mile
Double
8
38
8
RiverSide
Right or left side of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon
Producer Defined
R
river right (facing downstream)
Producer defined
L
river left (facing downstream)
Producer defined
River Side
String
1
0
0
RiverStop
Is this a place that is commonly stopped at for reasons other than camping (hiking, lunch, etc.)?
Producer Defined
<< empty cell >>
Producer defined
No
Producer defined
Yes
Producer defined
River Stop
String
3
0
0
CampSize
Refers to the estimated physical carrying capacity (number of people) as a function of area for a camp per night. Derived from Kearsley and others (1994).
Producer Defined
<< empty cell >>
Camp was not evaluated for its physical carry capacity
Producer defined
Very Small
Less than 10 persons
Producer defined
Small
10 to 12 persons
Producer defined
Large
25 or more persons
Producer defined
Medium
13 to 24 persons
Producer defined
Camp Size
String
15
0
0
FanEddyID
Unique ID for joining camps with geomorphic properties
Producer Defined
<Null>
no data available
Producer defined
FanEddyID
String
50
0
0
DF_Area_1
The area of each campsite that is on a debris fan (Alluvial fan composed of unsorted or poorly sorted sand to boulders transported to Colorado River by tributary debris flow or tributary flash flood)
Producer Defined
0.0
13636.7635853
meters squared
SUM_DF_Area
Double
8
38
8
SV_Area_1
The area of each campsite that is on a vegetated separation bar (Separation sandbar with established woody vegetation)
Producer Defined
0.0
6404.5565726
meters squared
SUM_SV_Area
Double
8
38
8
SB_Area_1
The area of each campsite on a separation bar (Sandbar in eddy that forms near the zone of flow separation)
Producer Defined
0.0
5330.95829997
SUM_SB_Area
Double
8
38
8
SUM_RB_Area
The area of each campsite on a reattachment bar (Sandbar in eddy that projects upstream from zone of flow reattachment)
Producer Defined
0.0
5038.46232703
meters squared
SUM_RB_Area
Double
8
38
8
SUM_RV_Area
The area of each campsite on a vegetated reattachment bar (Reattachment sandbar with established woody vegetation)
Producer Defined
0.0
5460.41032315
meters squared
SUM_RV_Area
Double
8
38
8
SUM_RU_Area
The area of each campsite on a reattachment bar upstream from constriction (Sandbar in upper-pool eddy that projects upstream from zone of flow reattachment)
Producer Defined
0.0
882.9792013
meters squared
SUM_RU_Area
Double
8
38
8
SUM_UP_Area
The area of each campsite on an undifferentiated eddy bar upstream from constriction (sand deposit in upper-pool eddy, without distinctive features of reattachment bar)
Producer Defined
0.0
2555.6445343
meters squared
SUM_UP_Area
Double
8
38
8
SUM_UV_Area
The area of each campsite on a vegetated undifferentiated eddy bar upstream from constriction (upper-pool sandbar with established woody vegetation)
Producer Defined
0.0
5857.35527954
meters squared
SUM_UV_Area
Double
8
38
8
DebrisFanUnit_Percent
Percentage of the campsite on a debris fan
Producer Defined
0.0
100.0
DebrisFanUnit_Percent
Double
8
38
8
All_DFUnit_Percent
Percentage of the campsite on all geomorphic units associated with the debris fan
Producer Defined
0.0
100.0
All_DFUnit_Percent
Double
8
38
8
DF_Prob
Historical probability of a debris flow occurring in 100 years in the adjacent tributary canyon or watershed
Producer Defined
<Null>
no data available
Producer defined
0.0
0.998663423628
DF Prob
Double
8
38
8
All_DFUnit_Area
Sum of the areas of all units associated with a debris fan
Producer Defined
0.0
14552.4730967
meters squared
All_DFUnit_Area
Double
8
38
8
st_area(shape)
st_area(shape)
Double
0
0
0
st_length(shape)
st_length(shape)
Double
0
0
0
dataset
EPSG
8.2.10(10.3.1)
Simple
FALSE
0
TRUE
FALSE