SPRINGDALE — Following a rockfall that occurred Monday afternoon, Zion National Park officials have temporarily closed Hidden Canyon Trail.
No one was injured in the rockfall, which came down in the chains section and covered approximately 45 feet of the trail in sand, according to a press release.
A second rock fall occurred Tuesday.
No injuries occurred in either rock fall.
Park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus says the Hidden Canyon Trial will stay shuttered on the July 4 holiday and at least through the following day until a hazard geologist can examine the area and the trail can be cleared.
Hidden Canyon Trail, built in 1928, leads from the East Rim Trail into the side ravine between Cable Mountain and the north wall of the Great White Throne.
The trail has been the focus of several problems over the years, including a July 2012 rockslide that stranded 11 park visitors for about three hours. Park rangers were able to set up a rope line and get the hikers out; however, the slide became active again the next night, dumping nearly 6 feet of debris on a steep, narrow section of the trail when all was said and done.
Hidden Canyon Trail was also closed over the summer in 2017 as workers completed the final phase of a multiyear repair effort as the result of flash food and natural seep damage.
Editor’s note: This report was updated with Associated Press content on July 4 at 2:11 p.m. to reflect the second rock fall.
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