Zion National Park Visitor Information
Limited Operations Available May 13th – 21st, 2020
Springdale May 12, 2020 – Zion National Park shared their plans for what visitors can do and what services will be available at Zion starting on May 13th, 2020. You can also view the attached Zion National Park Visitor Information sheet below that will be handing out to visitors as they come to the park as well.
In what they are referring to as their operating posture for May 13-21 only. The following information was made available to The Independent.
Starting May 13, Zion National Park will begin providing Day Use recreational access to select areas within the park. This action supports the White House guidelines for Opening Up America Again, and our continued coordination with the State of Utah, southwest Utah elected leaders, park partners, and local businesses. This information will be updated to include a few more services they anticipate will be made available on May 22nd.
Zion Forever Project is also working on a companion infographic that will be rolled out in the next few days to complement what is in the attached information sheet. Their focus will include opportunities for the public external to the park itself.
Also being showcased is their new 2020 Zion National Park/Zion Forever Project park film which is still available online to watch for free. You can view it streaming at https://zionpark.org/wethekeepers while the museum/theater is closed.
Depending on visitor use levels, and their ongoing ability to meet health guidelines, between the 13th and 21st, officials may have to modify or rescind some of what will be available starting today. With limited parking, visitor capacity is greatly constrained and concentrated visitation could present social distancing and crowding issues.
Officials are asking visitors to adhere to the White House, CDC, and Utah State COVID-19 guidelines. “Working together, we are hopeful we can prevent situations where crowds exceed the park’s capacity. We may have to scale back or temporarily limit access to areas of the park to restore safe conditions should visitors ignore these guidelines.” Jeff Axel, Chief of Public Affairs stated.
Here are the Key Areas and Services available starting today, May 13th:
- The park will be open daylight hours only 6:00 am to 8:00 pm
- Visitors must park in established parking spaces only.
- The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (Utah Hwy 9) will be open but may be temporarily closed to vehicles in the event of severe traffic congestion.
- Zion Tunnel Oversized Vehicle escorts available 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. only.
- The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to Temple of Sinawava will be open to vehicle access until parking is full between 6 am and 6 pm. Bicycles and foot traffic would still be allowed up-canyon during the day even if vehicle parking is not available, provided social distancing is maintained.
- Zion Canyon trails will be open. The exceptions are trails that were already closed for safety reasons or construction, such as Weeping Rock or Emerald Pools. Due to high water levels from snowmelt, the Narrows are currently closed.
- Backcountry trails (other than trails in the closed Kolob Canyons) are open for day use only. Visitors must stay on established trails and not travel cross-country.
- Zion Forever Park Store will be open at the visitor center with limited hours (anticipated to be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) so long as social distancing guidelines can be maintained.
The following services and activities for visitors will remain closed:
- Shuttle buses will not be running in Springdale or in the park.
- The Kolob Canyons Area.
- Zion Lodge (some lodge services are expected to resume May 21st).
- Visitor Centers and Campgrounds (Watchman campground will open May 22nd).
- Museum and Theater.
- Angels Landing Chain Section (the West Rim trail past Scouts Lookout will be open but only for day hiking).
- Wilderness and Recreation permits.
- Climbing and Canyoneering.
- Overnight backpacking/backcountry camping.
- Scenic drive for vehicles over 23 feet due to limited parking.
Officials are recommending the public visit their website at nps.gov/zion for current information prior to planning their trip to the area. In the event they need to scale back operations, specific information will be updated on their website as needed.
Zion National Park Limited Operations Visitors Information Sheet
