Wilderness Information and Permits

 

"Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit."
- Edward Abbey

The Zion Wilderness is a spectacular network of colorful canyons, forested mesas, and striking deserts. In 2009, over 124,000 acres of Zion National Park was designated as wilderness. This designation will ensure that 84% of the park will continue to be a place where nature and its “community of life are untrammeled by man, a place where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

What is Wilderness?

Wilderness is a rare, wild place where one can retreat from civilization, reconnect with nature, and find healing, meaning and significance. Knowledge, respect, and understanding for these wild and undeveloped places will ensure that they remain spectacular for years to come. Learn more about the establishment of wilderness in Zion, about NPS wilderness, or about wilderness in America at the interagency site: www.wilderness.net.

Wilderness Permits:

• Wilderness Permits are required for: all overnight backpacking trips, overnight climbing bivouacs, all through-hikes of The Narrows and its tributaries, all canyons requiring the use of descending gear or ropes, all trips into Left Fork of North Creek (The Subway), and all watercraft river trips.
• The purpose of the Wilderness Permit is to protect resources, manage visitor encounter rates and campsite use, and educate users on safety concerns and resource protection.
• Wilderness Permits do not provide a safety net for park visitors. Visitors are responsible for their personal safety, making informed decisions and managing individual and group behavior in the Wilderness environment.
• Learn more about the various way to get a Wilderness Permit.

 

Safety is your responsibility. Search and Rescue is not a guarantee.

• Be prepared and make good decisions, so that you and everyone in your group can have a rewarding experience, and return home safe. 
• Make sure to find out about current conditions and weather forecasts before starting your trip. Do not count on your cellphone--there is little to no service in most areas of the park. 

 

Increasing Visitation and Permit Availability

As visitation to Zion has increased dramatically, so has interest in the wilderness, and demand for wilderness permits. More people are venturing into the wilderness on day hikes, and many more are attempting to obtain permits for backpacking and canyoneering. There are only so many backpacking sites, and limits are in place for the total number of people allowed per day in each canyon.

Visitors wanting to backpack or descend a canyon should be flexible in their planning--your first, and even second, choices may be unavailable. At busy times of year, all permits may be taken, leaving none for people who show up at the Wilderness Desk without a reservation.

Download the Zion Wilderness Guide
Download the Zion Wilderness Map
Download Wilderness Desk Handouts

Guided Trips in the Wilderness

Structured and/or formally guided activities facilitated by educational, commercial, or like organizations are authorized to occur on frontcountry trails. Such activities are not authorized to take place in park wilderness/back-country areas (Primitive and Pristine Zones).

 

Zion Wilderness Stewardship Plan

Wilderness parameters, including the permit system, are managed according to guidelines established in the Wilderness Stewardship Plan (formerly titled the Backcountry Management Plan, November 2007). From page 33 of the plan:  Wilderness Permit and Reservation System
Zion's Wilderness Permit System allows the park to maintain levels of wilderness use consistent with a high quality visitor experience, safety, and resource protection by: 

• regulating use through a quota system, 
• providing education concerning resource protection and Leave No Trace techniques
• providing education concerning safety issues
• providing a means to track visitor use, and
• identifying a starting point for search and rescue efforts.

 

Backpacking

 

Canyoneering

 

Climbing

 

River Trips

 

Stock Use

 

What does "Wilderness" mean? Watch this three-minute video on American Wilderness to find out.