Backcountry News
The backcountry of Zion National Park presents incredible challenges for the visitor and park managers alike. In 2008 Superintendent Jock Whitworth announced the completion of the park’s Backcountry Management Plan. This plan provides direction for the National Park Service to manage over 145,000 acres of backcountry within the park. The plan incorporates standards to measure the health of natural and cultural resources as well as visitor wilderness experience and creates a framework that allows the park to adjust use limits and other management actions as the condition of park resources change.
Backcountry Management Plan Goals
• Protect and conserve the park’s natural and cultural resources and values, and the integrity of the wilderness character for present and future generations.
• Provide for the maximum freedom of public use and enjoyment of the park’s backcountry in a manner that is consistent with park purposes, wilderness management, and the protection of park resources and values.
• Provide for public understanding and support of wilderness values.
General Management Plan
A General Management Plan (GMP) was completed in 2001. The GMP divided the park into management zones (frontcountry high development, frontcountry low development, transition, primitive, pristine,and research natural areas). The backcountry plan will cover areas within the primitive, pristine, and research natural area zones, as well as a small portion of the transition zone. Management of over 95% of the acreage within the park will be covered through this planning process.
Wilderness
Wilderness Designated in Zion
Much of the park’s backcountry has been recommended for wilderness designation. The Wilderness Act of 1964 carries a number of requirements. Lands must be managed for their use and enjoyment in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness. National Park Service policy requires that recommended wilderness be managed in the same manner as congressionally designated wilderness to conserve wilderness values until Congress acts. The backcountry management plan
will include all recommended wilderness in the park.
Updates, news releases, and other documents relating to Zion’s Backcountry will be posted and archived here, so check back often to keep current with Backcountry News.
The links below will detail the Backcountry planning process.
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