ZION NATIONAL PARK – Zion National Park Superintendent Jock Whitworth has announced the start of a project to rehabilitate campsites and improve utilities in the tent only Loops C and D in Watchman Campground. The project will consist of reconstruction and delineation of 69 campsites with new site furnishings, resurfacing the road system, re-vegetation, installing new irrigation lines, and water and sewer line improvements.
Loop C is now closed and Loop D will be closed effective October 12, 2010. The two camping loops will be closed until the project is completed in early April 2011. South Campground, which usually closes at the end of October, will remain open through Thanksgiving weekend to make up for the loss of tent sites in the Watchman Campground this fall. Loop A of Watchman Campground will stay open through the winter months and is open to both tents and recreational vehicles.
Loops A and B of Watchman Campground were reconstructed in 1998 and the reconstruction of C & D Loops will continue improvements for visitor safety, visitor enjoyment, and protection of park resources.
The campground work will be completed primarily by contract. The general contractor is AMI General Contracting Inc. from Glendale, Colorado. The project is funded from fees collected in Zion National Park as part of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.