Infos zum Zion NP

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Der Zion NP bekommt zunehmend Problem durch den steigenden Besucherandrang:
Zion being ‘loved to death’ by almost 1 million new visitors; Monday traffic jam triggers resumed shuttle service

Nett gemachtes 4-Minuten-Video vom Zion NP:
Brothers produce stunning video of Zion National Park

Das Wetter in diesem Winter scheint auch dem Zion NP ganz schön zuzusetzen.

Nachdem vor kurzem 2 Trails wegen Steinschlag geshlossen wurden...
Rockfalls, mudslides close trails in Zion National Park

...ist jetzt auch die Scenic Route betroffen.
National Park scenic drive closes indefinitely after rock slide

Kolob Terrace Road construction; expect delays

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The final phase of the Kolob Terrace Road maintenance project to help preserve the asphalt will begin July 25. Motorists should expect delays at various times during the day.
Kolob Terrace Road originates in Virgin, travels north and enters Zion National Park’s west boundaries. Traffic control crews, including flaggers, will be used during this chip seal project to stop traffic for up to 25 minute intervals during the day.
Tony Ballard, Zion National Park road and trails foreman, said that chip seal is a process where rock chips are layered on top of hot oil over the existing surface in order to help preserve the life of the road.
“It is a process we try to do every 7 to 8 years,” Ballard said in a press statement.
People visiting the town of Springdale, the main Zion Canyon through the Scenic Drive, the Zion Lodge and the east portions of Zion National Park through the park’s south or east entrances will not be affected by the delays. Visitors accessing the Kolob Canyons section of the park from I-15 will likewise not be in the construction area.
Motorists on Kolob Terrace Road are advised to slow down through the project area and be aware of the maintenance crews on the roadways. The chip seal project is anticipated to be completed by Aug. 1.

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Flash flooding, severe thunderstorms hitting southern Utah

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Much of southern Utah is under a Flash Flood Watch or Warning through Thursday evening for heavy rains expected to hit the area.
The areas include, but are not limited to, portions of central Utah and southern Utah, including Castle Country, San Rafael Swell, Glen Canyon Recreation Area/Lake Powell, South Central Utah, Southern Mountains and Utahs Dixie and Zion National Park.
Zion National Park said all slot canyons, including the Narrows, are closed.
Several rounds of heavy rainfall and scattered strong severe thunderstorms are hitting or expected to hit these areas through Thursday evening.
According to the National Weather Service, the flash flood-prone areas include the Brian Head burn scar, slot canyons, normally dry washes and small streams.
Rainfall may be extensive enough to cause localized urban flooding including water flowing over roadways.
The heavy rainfall may cause travel difficulties on normally dry dirt roads.

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Zion to close Angels Landing for maintenance

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Zion National Park managers are closing off Angels Landing, one of its most popular and heavily-used trails, for maintenance the first week of October.
The maintenance work, which is scheduled to take a week, would start with a closure at 7 a.m. on Oct. 2. It would reopen for Saturday morning visitors, 7 a.m. on Oct. 7, according to a release from the park.
The West Rim Trail, which connects to the Angels Landing Trail near the park's main canyon, would also close, between the trailhead at the Grotto and Scout Lookout, according to the release. Hikers on the West Rim trail would not be allowed to pass Scout Lookout until after 1 p.m. Oct. 2. The rest of the week the full trail would remain open.
During the closure, the Zion trail crew will be performing recurring maintenance, which includes replacing guide posts and worn sections of chain, removing litter and graffiti, and re-shaping some of the steps chiseled into the sandstone.

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Zion sets new record with more than 4 million visitors

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With a month to spare, Zion National Park has set a new record for visitation this year, heightening concerns about overcrowding just as park managers consider a controversial fee hike and requiring visitors to go through an online reservation system.
The park had counted 4,365,946 visitors through the end of November, representing nearly a 5 percent increase over last year's record numbers. Since 2010, the park has seen visitation increase nearly 70 percent.
Zion wasn't alone among Utah parks in drawing record numbers of crowds.
Nearby Bryce Canyon National Park was at 2.5 million visitors through November, already eclipsing last year's record of 2.4 million. Capitol Reef had already set its new record as of the end of October, at 1.1 million visitors. Both have seen the number of visitors more than double over the past decade.
Arches and Canyonlands national parks have only reported their visitation through October, but both were on pace to eclipse last year's record visitation as well, with Arches at 1.4 million visitors and Canyonlands at 695,148.
The numbers match what National Park Service officials have reported as they consider making changes to keep the parks from getting trampled.
The government has proposed significant fee increases at some of the nation's busiest parks, including at four of the five in Utah, citing a need to catch up with a maintenance backlog that has reached $12 billion nationally.
At Zion and Bryce Canyon the fee increase would cover a five-month period from spring to fall, with the entrance fee for a single vehicle going from its current rate of $30 to $70, with similar increases for fees to people walking in or coming as a group. Prices for national park passes and senior passes would go unchanged.

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Roadwork on SR-9 through Springdale enters new phase. Motorists can expect traffic delays.

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Roadwork continues on state Route 9 through Springdale as a new phase in construction begins and motorists are advised to be prepared for increasing traffic delays during morning and evening commute periods.
Work on the reconstruction of SR-9 is continuing on schedule, according to a Thursday email update from the town of Springdale. The project is anticipated to conclude by mid-April 2018.
“Upon completion, the SR-9 project will improve the roadway with wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes throughout most of the town, heightening the visitor experience and increasing accessibility to local businesses and Zion National Park,” Utah Department of Transportation, overseeing the project, wrote in an project update.
Work through Springdale has been divided into six phases with each phase expected to last approximately 30 days.
Phase 1, from the Majestic View Lodge to the Driftwood Lodge, is largely complete with Phase 2, from Driftwood Lodge to the Desert Pearl Inn, having started this month with work expected to carry into January.
The SR-9 reconstruction project originally started in January from Rockville to Springdale, with the first phase of the project ending in April 2016. The second phase started in October and will carry through to mid-April 2018.
The purpose of the project is to produce a new roadway as the original has worn down over years of use and is in need of restoration.

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