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News, Press Releases, Public Notices, Things To Do

Access to Zion Narrows Trail to Remain Open to Public

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An agreement has been extended to maintain public access until March 31, 2019

Springdale, Utah — The Trust for Public Land and Washington County today announced that an agreement has been extended to allow the Zion Narrows Trail to remain open until March 31, 2019. The popular trail crosses Simon Gulch, a private property, before it enters Zion National Park. Currently, the Bulloch family is generously granting access to visitors crossing through their property on the trail. Washington County and The Trust for Public Land, along with the Bulloch family, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Forestry Division, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service have been working for several years to provide permanent public access to this iconic wilderness experience. All partners continue to work in good faith to ensure a fair and permanent solution for public access to the Zion Narrows Trail.

Washington County Commission Chair, Dean Cox expressed, “Washington County is delighted that the Zion Narrows Trail can remain open for public use and appreciates the Bulloch family working with Washington County, The Trust For Public Land, the National Park Service, and U.S. Forest Service in a collaborative manner to ensure the beauty of the trail can continue to be seen and enjoyed by all.”

“Visiting the Zion Narrows Trail is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we’re proud to be working to ensure that the trail is permanently accessible to the public,” said Diane Regas, President and CEO of The Trust for Public Land, “The Bulloch family is committed to ensuring that visitors continue to be able to enjoy this special place, and we look forward to working with them and the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and Washington County.”

Zion National Park is the third most visited national park in the country and The Trust for Public Land has a long history of working to protect the park. The Trust for Public Land was responsible in 2013 for the protection of Tabernacle Dome which was a private inholding in the park. That same year, the organization protected the 300-acre Chamberlin Ranch, a private property outside the park that contains the trailhead for the Zion Narrows Trail. Earlier this year, The Trust for Public Land helped protect a 35-acre property within the park, known as Firepit Knoll, in partnership with The National Park Foundation.

About The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.

Contact Information

The Trust for Public Land
Keith Maley
(415) 800-5177
Keith.Maley@tpl.org

Washington County of Utah
Nicholle Felshaw
(435) 301-7000
Nicholle.felshaw@washco.utah.gov

Zion National Park
Meetings, News, Public Notices

Zion National Park Visitor Use Management Planning Progress

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As you know the park has begun a Visitor Use Management (VUM) Plan in order to address the issue of increasing visitation in the park. This planning process will help park managers identify strategies that will allow visitors a safe and enjoyable experience while protecting the park’s fundamental resources and values.

The park has just concluded the public scoping component of the planning process. We held 6 public meetings and a WebEx where the public had the opportunity to share their ideas with park staff. Over 300 people attend the public meetings and the WebEx. We also received comments through the National Park Service (NPS) planning website, through email, and the U.S. mail. We received over 900 comments from over 460 individuals. Comments came from 23 states in the U.S. and from Japan.

We are currently reviewing all of the comments in search of any new ideas or plan alternatives that can be incorporated into the management plan. Once we have completed this task the comment summary will be available on the NPS website at parkplanning.nps.gov/zion.

We are also beginning to formulate preliminary alternatives. In a planning context alternatives represent different means of solving a problem and meeting the goals identified in the purpose and need for the action. Once we have identified preliminary alternatives that meet the purpose and need for the plan they will go out for public review and comment. It is anticipated that this will occur in summer 2017.

In the meantime stay informed of progress on the VUM plan through periodic information releases or by visiting parkplanning.nps.gov/zion. We look forward to your continued assistance through this process.