A large rockfall that closed the east side of Zion National Park yesterday has not been cleared and will keep that section of the road closed through the weekend. Road crews have used specialized equipment to break down the boulders, but the road has yet to be cleared. In addition to the Zion Road Crew, Utah Department Of Transportation and Federal Department of Transportation officials have been dispatched to the scene to assess the stability of the cliff above the road and decide whether more rock will need to be remove before the road can be reopened.
The rockfall occurred in Zion National Park sometime before 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23, releasing several enormous boulders that crashed onto the road, blocking both lanes of traffic. The largest rock was 19 feet high, 20 feet in length and 15 feet wide and weighed an estimated 200 tons (approximately 400,000 pounds). The second mass of rock was 10 feet tall, 10 feet long and 15 feet wide and weighed approximately 100 tons (200,000 pounds). The rockfall occurred near the first switchback leading up to the Mt. Carmel Tunnel.
According to the Zion National Park Hydrologist Dave Sharrow, the debris fell in an area noted for previous rockfalls.
“The area that the rock fall occurred in is a part of the Springdale Sandstone rock formation,” Sharrow said. “There are cliffs that are near the road and because the road is carved into the side of the mountain, rock falls can and do occur.”
There are still alternative travel routes for those seeking east-west routes and needing to avoid the closed road. UT 59 from Hurricane to Fredonia, Arizona is a possible route. Another alternative is to take UT 14 east from Cedar City to the Long Valley Junction with UT 89. UT 9 from Interstate 15 to the main canyon of Zion National Park remains open.
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