News Release

Proposed Air Tour Management Plan for Bryce Canyon National Park

Commercial air tour routes at Bryce Canyon National Park

NPS Graphic

News Release Date: September 3, 2021

Contact: Amanda McCutcheon

The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are seeking public feedback on a draft Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) that is being proposed for Bryce Canyon National Park.

The agencies encourage anyone with an interest in or concern about air tours over Bryce Canyon National Park to review and comment on the draft ATMP. The proposed plan would authorize up to 515 air tours per year on defined routes. There were on average 515 air tours per year reported at Bryce Canyon National Park from 2017 – 2019.

The NPS and FAA will host a virtual public meeting regarding the DRAFT Bryce Canyon National Park Air Tour Management Plan on Monday, September 27, 2021 from 2:30-4:00 pm (MT) that will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/4_myJpTAgVQ.  Members of the public who wish to observe the virtual meeting can also access the livestream from the following FAA social media platforms on the day of the event, including https://www.facebook.com/FAA, https://twitter.com/FAANews, or https://www.youtube.com/FAAnews.

Public feedback can be provided through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website from September 3, 2021 through October 3, 2021. The NPS and FAA will consider comments to help inform the final ATMP for Bryce Canyon National Park. The project website is available at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/BRCAATMP.

“We encourage anyone who is interested in air tours over the park to share their thoughts on the proposed plan for Bryce Canyon National Park,” said Jim Ireland, the park’s Superintendent. “The draft plan is based on current operations and reported air tour levels at Bryce Canyon National Park. Its purpose is to ensure that park resource values, including natural sounds, wilderness character, visitor experiences, wildlife and other natural and cultural resources are protected.” 

Bryce Canyon National Park is among 24 parks of the National Park System developing air tour management plans in cooperation with the FAA. The agencies hope to complete all air tour management plans by the end of August 2022. The schedule is part of a plan approved in 2020 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the agencies to comply with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.  

The FAA and the NPS have determined that each ATMP constitutes a Federal undertaking subject to compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800). The FAA and the NPS are consulting with tribes, State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers, and other interested parties to identify historic properties and assess the potential effects of ATMPs on them.

Please visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/airtours.htm and www.FAA.gov for more detailed information about air tour management plans. Links to meeting notifications, recordings, and slide decks (where applicable) will be posted to the NPS site.

The 24 parks:

1. Arches National Park, Utah 
2. Badlands National Park, South Dakota 
3. Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico 
4. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah 
5. Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona 
6. Canyonlands National Park, Utah 
7. Death Valley National Park, California 
8. Everglades National Park, Florida 
9. Glacier National Park, Montana 
10. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; Arizona, Utah 
11. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California 
12. Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Tennessee, North Carolina 
13. Haleakalā National Park, Hawai’i 
14. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi 
15. Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Arizona, Nevada 
16. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington 
17. Muir Woods National Monument, California 
18. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota 
19. Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah 
20. National Parks of New York Harbor Management Unit; New York, New Jersey 
21. Olympic National Park, Washington 
22. Point Reyes National Seashore, California 
23. Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah 
24. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, California