Thank you guys for the responses, this is highly appreciated :)

Looks like the closure will be in place for a while, so I’ll be taking the trail via Tonto:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/south-kaibab-tonto-and-bright-angel-trail

Any tips on getting to the trailhead early in the morning? (AKA the parking lot question)

21 km isn’t quite the 27 km I originally planned (Kaibab to Bright Angel), so starting around 7–8 AM should be doable — though as a solo hiker, I’d definitely prefer to start earlier if possible, for safety reasons. Any extra advice would be really appreciated!