SPRINGDALE – Visitation at Zion National Park continues to increase dramatically. Holidays and long weekends have been experiencing especially intense visitation. The park anticipates the 2016 Labor Day weekend to be especially busy. Last year 75,000 people visited Zion over Labor Day weekend.
Individuals planning to visit the park over Labor Day weekend should be prepared for delays, limited parking and crowded conditions. Park officials are anticipating conditions similar to the 2015 Labor Day weekend, when parking lots inside the park were full by 9:30 a.m.
Once parking fills, visitors may experience traffic congestion in Springdale and up to 45-minute waits for entrance to the park and for shuttle bus boarding inside the park.
For the most updated information, visitors may visit the Zion National Park Twitter feed.
“We request that visitors please plan ahead, take responsibility for your safety, be patient and treat others with courtesy and respect,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park superintendent, said. “These practices are important whether you decide to visit Zion or any of the other wonderful public land resources in our area.”
Other tips to help visitors have a more enjoyable trip to Zion include:
- Visit the park website for important information on shuttle buses, trails and other facilities.
- Remember that Zion Canyon is closed to private vehicles and that all visitors headed up-canyon will be required to ride the shuttle.
- Arrive early in the day or late in the afternoon.
- To avoid traffic, park in Springdale and ride the free shuttle buses to the park.
- Park only in designated lots or paved pullouts, and avoid parking on road shoulders. When parking in Springdale, please do so only in areas where parking is allowed.
For more information on issues related to Zion National Park’s growth challenges and its ripple effects on surrounding communities, read the three-part St. George News series “Zion National Park traffic jam.”
- Zion National Park traffic jam: A look at busing considerations, shuttle upgrades
- Zion National Park traffic jam: A closer look at the overcrowding problem
- Zion National Park traffic jam: A look at official ideas for better parking, access
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Twitter: @STGnews