News Release
You are viewing ARCHIVED content published online before January 20, 2025.
Please note that this content is NOT UPDATED, and links may not work. For current information,
visit https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/index.htm.
NPS Image
Subscribe
 |
What is RSS
|
Contact: zion_newsdesk@nps.gov, 435-772-0162
SPRINGDALE, Utah – The National Park Service (NPS) continues to prepare a draft Visitor Use Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA) for Zion National Park. This plan and EA will propose actions to provide sustainable visitor access, protect park resources, improve visitor experiences, and promote visitor and staff safety.
The planning process was initiated in 2016. The park is currently updating preliminary management alternatives and developing other elements of the plan with the aim of releasing a draft plan and EA this winter (2024/2025).
“To resolve current issues and for future management success this planning effort is fundamental to meeting the park’s mission,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent said. “The National Park Service’s mandate is to conserve the park’s resources in perpetuity and provide safe and meaningful experiences for park visitors. This planning effort builds on past successes and will help ensure we continue to fulfill our mission in the future.”
The NPS is developing this plan and EA in response to rapidly changing visitation patterns. Visits to Zion have nearly doubled from 2.7 million visits in 2010 to 5 million visits in 2021.
To prepare for this planning effort, park staff have collected data on visitor use levels and patterns to understand how experiences have changed over time, piloted potential visitor use management strategies, and worked with stakeholders and the public to better understand their current experiences and preferences.
This information is being used to analyze potential strategies to address issues with congestion and crowding and sustainable park operations to protect resources and provide the best experiences possible at Zion National Park.
Information on the planning process and strategies that are currently being evaluated are on our website. You can read the update online:
https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/management/visitor-use-research-and-planning.htm
The NPS looks forward to hearing directly from the public when the draft plan and EA is released, providing engagement opportunities in area communities and virtually to hear directly from visitors, stakeholders, and surrounding communities.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
Last updated: July 9, 2024