Infos zum Bryce Canyon NP

Bryce Canyon Summer Construction Schedule Announced

Zitat

Hoodoos, potholes and cracking pavement—the power of frost wedging shapes Bryce Canyon National Park in a variety of ways. To help preserve and improve existing pavement, the park is planning a variety of entrance fee-funded projects this summer. Minimal impact to visitor experience is expected for most of these projects, though some traffic delays and detours will occur. As always, park visitors can enjoy the most predictable visit by riding the park shuttle.

The most extensive project this summer will be the complete resurfacing of the Lodge Loop road. This one-mile section of roadway connects the Bryce Lodge and Sunrise Point area with the main park road. Resurfacing work will occur from June 15th through September 15th. Traffic delays of no more than 15 minutes will occur between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on work days. No work is scheduled to occur on weekends or federal holidays.

At nearby Sunrise Point, replacement of a quarter mile of aging asphalt sidewalk is likely to begin in May and continue in stages through the summer. The new concrete path will comply with the standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968, providing a fully accessible connection to the Rim Trail. Pedestrians can expect short-term detours in this area.

To help increase the lifespan of existing pavement, resealing of both the Visitor Center and Additional Parking lot across the road are expected to begin in June. Closures should not last more than 72 hours, and one parking lot will remain open while the other is being resealed. Restriping of parking spaces will also occur to help clarify traffic flow in these lots.

Also in June, the Shared-Use Path will be resealed from the park’s northern boundary to Inspiration Point. Sections of this popular multi-use bicycle and pedestrian path are expected to close for no more than a day at a time.

Lastly, restriping of the full 18 miles of the main park road is scheduled for July and August. Short-term closures of less than an hour may occur along sections of the road, though most traffic will only be temporarily slowed.

Infrastructure improvement projects like these are possible thanks to visitor fee dollars. At Bryce Canyon, 80 percent of entrance and recreation fees collected remain at the park for projects to improve the visitor experience. The remaining 20 percent is used to benefit parks that do not collect fees.

As construction begins, visitors should expect the park to announce any temporary closures on its website and social media channels. Please visit the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/brca and follow the park on social media for details on park operations before your visit.

Alles anzeigen

Link

Bryce Canyon National Park Selected as 2022 Leave No Trace Hot Spot

Zitat

With the park's centennial year approaching in 2023, staff at Bryce Canyon National Park have been looking for opportunities not only to celebrate Bryce Canyon’s past but also the challenges and opportunities of its future. As a part of that effort, the park’s Mossy Cave Trail was nominated and chosen as a 2022 Hot Spot by the Leave No Trace organization. From August 25th to August 29th, a Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will work with the National Park Service to provide area visitors, land managers, volunteers and the local community with information, service work and education to reduce impacts at this and other popular outdoor areas.

Through a nationwide nominations process, Leave No Trace selects Hot Spot locations each year: popular outdoor areas across the country that have experienced heavy recreational use and human-created impacts, including excessive trash, damage to vegetation, trail erosion, disturbance to wildlife and more. Hot Spots empower people to be the solution to these impacts in their communities, an essential objective of the Leave No Trace organization.

“Hot Spot locations are heavily damaged, but can recover with the help of a motivated community and an encompassing infusion of Leave No Trace programming. Centered around training, these efforts include a series of targeted workshops for local land managers, partners and volunteers, as well as community outreach events for the public conducted by expert Leave No Trace educators,” said Dana Watts, Executive Director of the Leave No Trace organization. “Our goal is to put these Hot Spot areas on the road to recovery, while also creating aspirational guidance and recommendations for public lands across the globe.”

“Mossy Cave and Water Canyon are especially beautiful and unique features in an already beautiful and unique broader landscape. We want people to be able to enjoy visiting them for generations to come,” said Tyra Olstad, Physical Scientist for Bryce Canyon National Park. “While the immediate goal of the Hot Spot is to find ways to mitigate recreation-related impacts in the Mossy Cave area, in the long run we’re hoping to build a community of land managers, local residents and visitors who are all good stewards of Mossy Cave, Bryce Canyon National Park and beyond."

The following events are free and open to the public, and we encourage people of all ages to attend:

Friday, August 26
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Create your Own Leave No Trace Pack Out Bag. Family-friendly activity at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center Plaza focused on disposing of waste properly. Visitors will leave with a kid-friendly reusable trash bag to help protect and care for natural areas.

8:30 – 9:30 p.m.: Water in the Desert: Geology and History of Mossy Cave. Evening presentation at the North Campground Outdoor Theater on the natural and cultural history of Mossy Cave, the history of Tropic Ditch and how to minimize impacts while visiting these special places.

Saturday, August 27
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Stewardship Service Project: Trash Pickup and Trail Impacts Survey. Join Leave No Trace and the National Park Service (NPS) for a family-friendly volunteer day cleaning up and documenting impacts along the Mossy Cave Trail.

8:30 – 9:30 p.m.: How to be the Best Sasquatch You Can. Evening presentation at the North Campground Outdoor Theater focused on Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, minimizing our impacts and how to protect your favorite outdoor spaces.

Sunday, August 28
9:00 – 10:30 a.m. & 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.: Ranger-guided walks at Mossy Cave. Meet at the Mossy Cave trailhead for ranger-guided walks about the geology and history of Mossy Cave and learn how Leave No Trace practices can help protect this special area.

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Public & Visitor Outreach. Leave No Trace staff will be at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center Plaza educating visitors about Leave No Trace skills and ethics, minimizing our impacts and enjoying the outdoors responsibly.

Alles anzeigen

Link

Phased Temporary Closures of Campground Loops in October
The closures are required to allow crews to remove tree-related hazards

Zitat

To allow for the removal of tree-related hazards (such as dead limbs and standing trees at risk of falling) a phased closing of individual loops in both Sunset and North Campgrounds will occur between Monday, October 10th and Friday, October 21st. Loop closures will include closures to pedestrian traffic.

Wednesday, October 12th is the only night that all Sunset Campground loops will be closed.

Mehr Infos hier

Bryce Canyon Backcountry Permits Moving to Recreation.gov
The change will add convenience and predictability to the park’s permitting experience

Zitat

Beginning December 1st, overnight visitors to Bryce Canyon’s backcountry areas will be able to reserve permits for peak season trips up to three months in advance using the website Recreation.gov. This will replace the old system, by which permits were only issued in-person, up to 48 hours in advance. This change will help standardize Bryce Canyon’s reservation processes and add convenience and predictability to visitors’ permitting experience.

Effective today, visitors can view the permits that will be available for reservation on Recreation.gov, by searching “Bryce Canyon National Park Backcountry Permits” or by following the direct link: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4675330. Permits for peak season trips occurring March through November will be available online up to three months in advance, as well as on a walk-in basis at the Visitor Center. The first online permits for March 2023 will become available on December 1st, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Permits for winter trips occurring December through February will remain on a walk-in basis, issued up to 48 hours in advance.

“This change aligns our backcountry permits with the developed campground reservations and digital pass options already available on Recreation.gov,” said park spokesperson Peter Densmore, “It also gives our visitors greater control of their trip planning. Under the walk-in system we’ve consistently heard from people concerned about backcountry permit availability during the park’s peak season. We hope that this new system will give them greater peace of mind knowing that their permit is secure.”

Online permit holders will still be required to check in at the Visitor Center before departing on their overnight trip to review backcountry regulations, rent a free bear canister, or have theirs inspected. This change will not affect permit costs, which remain $10 per permit plus $5 per person.

Alles anzeigen

Link

Celebrate a Century of Wonder at Bryce Canyon National Park

Zitat

2023 will be a year of special programs and events in celebration of the park’s centennial

A cave without a ceiling, red rocks standing like men, nature’s most delicate jewel—Bryce Canyon National Park has been described as many things, and this year we’ll add “100 years old” to that list. To celebrate this historic milestone, the park and its partners are inviting the public to enjoy a year of special programs and events.

Utah’s second national park, Bryce Canyon was first protected as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding on June 8, 1923. From visitors numbering in the thousands in 1923 to over two million visitors in 2022, the park’s vibrant limestone hoodoos, fragrant ponderosa forests, and profoundly dark night skies are now beloved by visitors from all around the globe.

“Bryce Canyon’s centennial year is an opportunity to celebrate not only the rich past but also the present and future of this national park,” said park superintendent Jim Ireland, “2023 will be a year of celebration, and yet we also want it to be a year of connection between the park and its local communities, affiliated tribes, partners, visitors, and staff.”Events planned for the centennial year so far include:

Ruby’s Inn Winter Festival: February 18-20
Historic Photo Exhibit: April through November at Bryce Lodge
Utah Prairie Dog Day: May 12
Centennial Ceremony and Concert featuring The Piano Guys: June 8
Astronomy Festival: June 14-17
Bryce Canyon Butterfly Count: July 8
Geology Festival: July 14-15
All Employee Reunion: August 24-26
Plein Air “Paint Out” with Escalante Canyons Art Festival: September 18
Bryce Canyon Heritage Days Festival: September 28-30
Annular Eclipse: October 14
Christmas Bird Count: December 16

All centennial events will be open to the public, though some may require advance registration through the park or a partner organization.
Visit http://www.BryceCanyon.org for information about centennial events and partnership initiatives.

Alles anzeigen

Link

Retaining Wall Failures Close Navajo Loop At Bryce Canyon National Park

Zitat

The collapse of some retaining walls along the Navajo Loop trail at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah has temporarily closed the trail, park staff announced Thursday.

Warming temps and melting snow have led to multiple retaining wall collapses and unsafe conditions, requiring the closure. The Queen's Garden and Peekaboo Loop trails remain open in this area.

Link