Rebuilding Zion National Park’s South Entrance Is A Long Way Off

While the National Park Service has given the go-ahead for the South Entrance to Zion National Park in Utah to undergo a redesign, it’s not going to happen any time soon.

According to Zion, the new road alignment project will incorporate roundabouts, reconfigure parking for large vehicles, add a new vehicle and pedestrian bridge, and reroute trails. These changes aim to simplify travel for Zion shuttle buses and facilitate a smoother flow of pedestrians and cyclists in the area of the South Entrance and Zion Canyon Visitor Center.

The proposal was authorized by the Park Service on July 17. Work on the first phase of the project might get underway … in “late winter 2025,” Zion staff told the Traveler.

“Construction will take place in three phases to best accommodate visitors and anticipated timing of funding availability. Phase 1 is anticipated to begin construction in late winter 2025, with completion anticipated in late Spring 2026. Construction timeframes for Phases 2 and 3 are not yet determined,” said Amanda Rowland, program manager for interpretation and visitor services and acting public information officer.

The work, once funding is found, will likely create delays for visitors to get through the entrance. The project calls for:

• Construction of a new roundabout north of the existing South Entrance Fee Station (with an associated new road alignment).

• Construction of a short-term pullout and bypass lanes to facilitate traffic flow at the roundabout just past the South Entrance Fee Station. 

• Realignment of the Watchman Campground Road running southeast from the entrance roundabout and restore the old roadbed to natural conditions with native vegetation.

• Construction of a new road configuration east of the new vehicular bridge.

• Construction of a second new roundabout to facilitate traffic flow to the large vehicle parking lot, Visitor Center parking lot, shuttle bus parking lot, and Watchman Campground.

• Addition of new traffic signage at the new roundabouts.

• Construction of a road connection to the shuttle bus parking lot.

• Reconfiguration and enlargement of the large vehicle parking lot from about 1 acre to about 1.73 acres.

• Creation of road and trail connections to the shuttle stop area as needed.

• Grading all areas adjacent to the Zion Canyon South Entrance Area to connect to existing grades.

• Installation of culverts as needed.

• Demolition and revegetation of sections of the existing road that are no longer needed.

• Installation of bioswales for natural filtration of contaminants from all new and expanded parking areas.

• Construction of trail connections to the adjacent campground as needed.

• Replacement and modernization of utility infrastructure where appropriate.

• Addition of signage, fencing, and dark-sky compliant path lighting to better define pedestrian routes.

In addition, the project includes:

• Removal of the existing Watchman Campground Bridge and restoration of the river channel in the same location to natural freer-flowing conditions.

• Construction of a new four-lane vehicular bridge with a longer span upstream of the existing Watchman Campground Bridge.

• Construction of a pedestrian trail underpass at the new bridge to connect to the Pa’rus Trail, which runs north-south along the east side of the North Fork of the Virgin River.

Additionally, the park’s shuttle facility also is in line for some improvements:

• Paving of the recently expanded shuttle bus parking lot.

• Realignment of the entrance of the administrative access road to access the bus charging parking area and ZION Shuttle Maintenance Facility.

• Expansion of existing employee parking to include concessioner, partner, and NPS employee parking in a single location separate from visitor parking. The employee parking lot will be expanded from about 0.22 acre (34 spaces) to about 1.30 acres (87 spaces).

• Removal of the existing Zion Canyon Visitor Center employee parking. A portion of this area will be part of the new entrance road, and a portion will be revegetated. 

“Hikers, bikers, drivers, and shuttle riders are all going to benefit from these improvements,” said Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. “Zion is thankful to the transportation professionals who developed the plan and to members of the public and other stakeholders who shared feedback during our public comment period earlier this year.”