Biking can be a majestic and peaceful way to explore the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. The slower pace and smaller crowds make it easier to connect to Zion's incredible scenery and diverse ecosystems. And while you shouldn't have to deal with lots of car traffic, there are some things to keep in mind if you choose to bike through the canyon: -Bikes are allowed only on park roads and the Pa'rus trail. All other trails, off-trail routes, and the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel are closed to bikes. -Ride single file going with traffic (on the right side of the road). This way, emergency vehicles and park staff will have an easier time passing your group. -Speaking of group size, keep it at 6 or fewer. If your group is more than 6, just break your group into smaller segments and separate by 1/4 mile or more. -Also, you will need to stop at the side of the road to let shuttles get around you. They are too wide to safely pass while you are traveling. -Don't forget your helmet! For more information on biking through the park, check out the biking page on our website: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/bicycling.htm NPS photo/Darcy McKinley Lester

Cable Mountain Rockfall 2019

On Saturday, August 24, 2019, a large rockfall occured near the Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop. A substantial piece of rock had broken off Cable Mountain. The rockfall hit the closed East Rim Trail, knocking down trees and showering visitors at Weeping Rock with smaller rocks, branches, and a plume of dust and sand. Shuttles were stopped for approximately 90 minutes as the dust settled. This video was recorded by a visitor on the Angels Landing Trail, across the canyon from Cable Mountain. It captures the rockfall a few seconds after it began, a view that we rarely get to see. Were you in the park that day? Share your story below. The Weeping Rock Trail and Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop (Stop #7) are closed until further notice. The East Rim Trail from Observation Point to Weeping Rock is also closed. Video courtesy of Sandanie Ambalangodage

Photos from Zion National Park's post

Zion National Park Prepares for Busy Labor Day Weekend - Queue for Angels Landing will be shifted to West Rim Trailhead; several landslide closures. SPRINGDALE, UT – Zion National Park is expecting a busy Labor Day weekend Friday, August 30 through Monday, September 2, 2019. As our nation honors American workers, many will visit Zion and other National Parks across the country. Visitors to Zion should expect some queues and congestion within the park. Those with flexible plans are encouraged to visit before Friday or after Monday to avoid crowds. Both campgrounds in Zion Canyon are on a reservation system and are already fully reserved for the weekend. Campground and lodging options are available in the gateway communities surrounding the park. Please plan your trip accordingly. Zion Canyon Visitor Center and other parking areas in the park fill by 9:00 a.m. Additional parking is provided in the gateway community of Springdale. Zion Canyon shuttle runs from 6:00 a.m. through 9:15 p.m. The shuttle leaves the Visitor Center every 4 minutes with a capacity of 68 visitors. Wait times are expected to be between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. Several Zion Canyon trails and the Weeping Rock area (Shuttle Stop 7) remain closed due to rockslides. Upper and Middle Emerald Pools, Hidden Canyon, Weeping Rock, and East Rim/Observation Point via Weeping Rock shuttle stop are all closed. The Kayenta Trail is partially opened, only accessible via The Grotto area (Shuttle Stop 6). The line for hiking Angels Landing that often forms at Scout Lookout will be managed from the West Rim Trailhead at The Grotto, similar to Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends this summer. Managing the number of hikers off the steep trail will allow each to have a safer and more enjoyable visitor experience on the trail. Those waiting will enjoy more shade, access to flush restrooms and water filling stations at the trailhead prior to starting the hike. Hikers will depart the trailhead at a rate of 6 people every 3 minutes, or 120 people per hour. Over 4th of July weekend, lines peaked at approximately 3 hours. Monsoon season runs from mid-July to mid-September. Flash floods are unpredictable and can occur from storms some distance away though skies appear sunny overhead. Check the weather forecast or stop by park Visitor Centers for up to date information. Your safety is your responsibility. NPS Photos of the Narrows and Angels Landing crowds taken in 2019

Have you ever heard the term "social trail" and wondered what it meant? Social trails are unofficial trails created by foot traffic from people and animals. Hikers have trampled many miles of social trails into Zion National Park. These trails can have negative effects on the park; visitors could be trampling on sensitive areas and unintentionally spreading invasive plants. The soil gets so compacted in these areas that rehabilitation of native plants gets close to impossible. You could also be disturbing the homes of some of our protected wildlife species. Remember, if one person hikes off trail it might not do any permanent damage, but if four million people hike off trail it could destroy these beautiful parks we all have to work together to protect. NPS Photo

Ten years ago, in 2009, a Tunnel Walk was held as part of Zion National Park's centennial celebration. The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel was closed to allow 300 ticket holders to walk the entire length. Today, you can only drive through with a vehicle and get a glimpse of Zion through the window galleries. This historic 1.1 mile tunnel was constructed from 1927 to 1930 and cost $1,896,000. The purpose of creating the tunnel was to allow direct access to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon, instead of a much longer route around Zion National Park. To learn more about the tunnel, please visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/the-zion-mount-carmel-tunnel.htm

Did you know that Zion has six different species of frogs and toads? The canyon tree frog (Hyla arenicolor) is one of them. Canyon tree frogs live in the riparian zone which means they are found close to water. They may be called a tree frog but canyon tree frogs prefer to perch on boulders and rocks that overlook water. During the hot summer days they will hide in rock crevices. Canyon tree frogs are small, about two inches long. They have rough skin with large adhesive toe pads for climbing. They range in color from gray to tan or olive. While some canyon tree frogs have green or gray spots, others have no spots. NPS Photo/ Amanda Mauel

Photos from Zion National Park's post

The park was notified of a large rockfall near Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop in the main canyon at 5:50 p.m. yesterday, August 24, 2019. A substantial piece of rock had broken off Cable Mountain, approximately 3,000 feet above Weeping Rock. The rockfall hit the closed East Rim Trail, knocking down trees and showering visitors at Weeping Rock with smaller rocks, branches, and a plume of dust and sand. Shuttles along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive were stopped for approximately 90 minutes as the dust settled. Three visitors were injured, one transported to the hospital by park ambulance. Several people were temporarily stranded at the end of Weeping Rock Trail for a short time, but they were able to self-rescue. The Weeping Rock Trail and Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop (Stop #7) are closed until further notice. The Echo Canyon and Observation Point Canyon canyoneering routes are also closed, as is the East Rim Trail from Observation Point to Weeping Rock.

Photos from Zion National Park's post

Today we celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the signing of the Organic Act, also known as H.R. 15522, “An Act to establish a National Park Service.” The Act was signed into law on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson and officially created the NPS with Stephen Mather as its first director. Mather, seen here in Zion in the late 1920s, had been fighting for the establishment of a unified bureau to oversee the National Parks for a few years. He was a businessman and millionaire turned conservationist who worked pro bono to protect and promote our parks. He served as director of the NPS, overseeing the development of many parks and the establishment of several others, until he suffered a stroke in 1929. Mather visited Zion for the first time in 1919 and then returned regularly, making at least one trip every year until his death in 1930. After helping to establish Zion as a National Park, Mather remained close with many of the park’s administrators, including superintendent E. T. Scoyen, who took this photograph of Mather on the West Rim Trail. When the Organic Act was signed and Mather officially took office, the government owned 14 parks and 19 national monuments, including Zion—then still known as Mukuntuweap National Monument. Today, the NPS manages 419 individual units, covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states and US territories. We owe much of this expansion to the work of many dedicated individuals, including Stephen Mather, who have helped develop the NPS into the system it is today. Image courtesy Zion National Park, museum catalog number ZION-1134.02/402.06/01-02. Second image courtesy of the National Archives.

Photos from Zion National Park's post

Why are so many trails in Zion closed? Many visitors when arriving in the park are disappointed by the closures of the Upper Emeralds, Hidden Canyon and Observation Point trails. The beautiful geology that many come to see is also the driving force behind these trail closures! Zion's geology may look stable and unchanging but the opposite is true, the erosive forces in the park are constantly at play sculpting and changing the image of the park. These forces often cause rock to break off from the sides of the canyon and crash to the ground. Such rockfall can be seriously destructive to the trails in Zion and require extensive maintenance, rehabilitation, and in some cases brand new trail routed around the fall. The Zion National Park trail crew is hard at work repairing these trails and visitors are recommended to plan ahead by visiting the park website to know which trails are opened/closed before visiting. https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm NPS Photos

You can find plateau striped whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis velox) almost anywhere in Zion Canyon, hanging out in the sun, chasing insects, and sprinting away from any potential predator. While most people notice them because of their long, bright blue tail, what's most interesting is that they are all female! Plateau striped whiptails reproduce through parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction where an egg can develop into an embryo without being fertilized. These lizards are not the only parthenogenic creatures out there--several species of flatworms, snails, insects, sharks, crustaceans, lizards, and snakes can also reproduce asexually. Scientists are still learning how parthenogenesis works, why it developed in certain species and not in others, and what the pros and cons are of this unique form of reproduction. There's a lot to discover out there in the world, and national parks can be a great place to begin or continue on that journey of discovery! What is your favorite thing you learned in a national park? NPS photo/Abi Farish

Rock Squirrels Will Try to Get Your Food

Watch out for these squirrels! Most vistors know that it is dangerous (and illegal) to feed the wildlife in a National Park, but in some cases you need to go the extra mile to prevent animals from obtaining food. In parts of Zion, if you leave your belongings out of arms reach, you are probably going to unintentionally feed the animals. These videos were all taken on the same afternoon along Riverside Walk. The squirrels in that part of the park have learned that people are a source of food and investigating our belongings can pay off with a meal. Please do not leave your food unattended! Feeding wildlife, even unintentionally, can lead to many poor outcomes for both the animals and people. It is not healthy for animals to eat human food and they may lose the ability to forage naturally as they learn to depend on humans. Plastic and foil packaging is often eaten, causing many other heath problems. Animals can damage your property while looking for food or become aggressive and injure you; the park regularly responds to squirrel bites along Riverside Walk. Aggressive animals may need to be lethally removed from the park. By keeping our food away from wildlife, we are preserving their wildness...their independence from humans. We are also protecting the idea of a National Park, where people can go to see wild animals. Squirrels being squirrels. Learn more about how you can reduce your impact on the park by taking the #ZionPledge. https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/zion-pledge.htm NPS Video / Lacey Prisbrey

Have you ever heard of the seven leave no trace principles? 1. Plan ahead & prepare. 2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. 3. Dispose of waste properly. 4. Leave what you find. 5. Minimize campfire impacts. 6. Respect wildlife. 7. Be considerate of other visitors. These principles were established by the Leave No Trace (LNT) center for outdoor ethics, and built on work by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management in the mid 1980's. The LNT center mission "focuses on educating people-instead of costly restoration programs or access restrictions-as the most effective and least resource-intensive solution to land protection." Whether you are in the back country, hiking in Zion National park or enjoying a cookout in your own backyard, the principles can be applied to any outdoor situation. According to the LNT Center, 9 out of 10 people in the outdoors are uninformed about their impacts. Each of us plays a vital role in protecting our National Parks. Remember these are your park's too! Check out this link to learn more about how you can practice these principles next time you're outdoors https://lnt.org/ NPS Photo