News Release

National Park Service assesses options to improve road and trail circulation and reconstruct Zion National Park’s South Campground

Vehicles at Zion National Park’s South Entrance.

NPS

News Release Date: May 17, 2022

Contact: Jonathan Shafer, [phone]

Update June 1, 2022: Look at the bottom of this page to see a recording of Zion National Park's public meeting.

SPRINGDALE, Utah – On Wednesday, May 25, the National Park Service (NPS) will host a public meeting to share a variety of management options and concepts designed to improve access from Springdale, Utah into Zion National Park. This area is more commonly referred to as the South Entrance of the park. The NPS will share design options to improve transportation links, simplify navigation, and provide pedestrians and bicyclists more dedicated space and infrastructure away from roads. 

“This is the first part of a multi-step process to determine how we should plan for the future of Zion National Park’s South Entrance and South Campground” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent said. “We consider this project part of our larger, ongoing visitor use planning effort. It builds on our collaborative planning process giving park visitors, neighbors, and other stakeholders an opportunity to learn and provide important information for our decision-making process.” 

Some of the improvements the NPS is considering include: 

• Defining the Zion Canyon Pedestrian Entrance. 
• Realigning the roadway accessed from the South Entrance Fee Station the the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. 
• Expanding the shuttle maintenance facility to accommodate electrical vehicle charging. 
• Reconstructing the South Campground to meet current accessibility and safety codes. 
• Installing intuitive wayfinding pedestrian trails and improving accessibility in the South Entrance Area. 

We count on your comments 
Learning what you think is an essential part of this process. You can learn more and share comments by: 

Attending our virtual public meeting 
The NPS will host a live, virtual public meeting on May 25 at 6 p.m. MDT. Attend the meeting for free online or call to listen in by phone. Get information about the meeting and phone numbers online.
 

• Zoom Meeting Link

We will share a recording of the meeting on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website. 


Sharing comments 
Your participation is vital to the planning process. You can share your comments and ideas through June 17. To share comments online and learn more about the project, visit the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website. If you prefer to mail your comments, they must be postmarked by June 17, 2022.   

Mail comments to:   
 

Superintendent
ATTN: Zion Canyon South Entrance Redesign 
Zion National Park 
1 Zion Park Blvd 
Springdale, Utah 
84767 

Planning for the future 
This project builds on past work to relocate our entrance monument and improve the fee booths at the park’s south entrance. The National Park Service is proactively working to identify other opportunities to improve visitor services in the park. Zion recorded about 2.8 million visits in 2011 and more than 5 million in 2021. As the number of people who visit Zion continues to rise, the NPS is preparing a plan designed to sustain high quality visitor experiences and sustainably manage park resources. We plan to share an update on the plan and ask for your feedback about it later in 2022.

Duration:

1 hour, 5 minutes, 59 seconds

On Wednesday, May 25, 2022 Zion hosted a virtual meeting to share a variety of management options and concepts designed to improve access from Springdale, Utah. This area is more commonly referred to as the South Entrance of the Park. In this recording, led by the park’s Public Affairs Specialist Jonathan Shafer, you’ll hear about three different design options to make entering the park easier. Dr. Bry Carter will walk you through the details of each plan and discusses the thought process behind each one.

Review plans and submit comments by 6/17/2022