Project To Reopen Zion Canyons Road Set To Start Monday

If you have been waiting to take a drive up the Kolob Canyons Road in Zion National Park, your wait is not over just yet, but the end of the road closure may be in sight.

National Park Service

The repair project on the road is set to begin on Monday, September 25^th. In March 2023, rangers observed a depressed area on the road and closed it as a precaution. Shortly thereafter, the road began to collapse. The National Park Service worked with engineers from the Federal Highway Administration to assess the site and develop the plan to rehabilitate the road.

In a press release, Bry Carter, Zion Chief of Facilities management said, “Engineers and park maintenance staff developed the plan to repair the road in collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration. Just like all construction in the park, we are going to ensure this work complements the natural landscape and improves visitors’ experiences.”

National Park Service

The project will involve several stages before completion. The first will be to excavate unstable materials and reinforce the roads base depth to eight feet with geo-grid, structural cloth and compacted soil.

After that, workers will begin repaving more than 6,000 square feet of pavement and then will complete the project by installing ditches, gutters and curb. This last step, it is hoped, will allow the road to be drained more effectively.

Be advised that while the construction work is under way, the roads and trailhead next to the road will be closed. This closure not only includes drivers but also covers hikers, horse riders and bicyclists. The closure is necessary to allow construction workers to move soil, store construction supplies and to be able to stage construction equipment.

If you were already planning to use the Lee Pass trailhead to access the hikes and campsites on La Verkin Creek or Hop Valley Trails please contact the Zion Wilderness Rangers.

Work is scheduled to be completed in the winter of this year, but that is, of course, dependent on the weather and the availability of supplies.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.