News ACCESS: ZION AREA

AWESOME!

About time... now I can FINALLY get that Angel’s Landing selfie for my IG/FB and build my own summit cairn while up there.

From ZION FB page:

Effective immediately, Zion National Park has stopped issuing Wilderness permits to hike the Zion Narrows Top-down. This includes the 16-mile day hike and all overnight use.

The route crosses private land and the landowner has revoked permission for public access. “Private Property, No Trespassing” signs have recently been posted.

Day hiking from the Temple of Sinawava is open to Big Spring. Upstream travel beyond Big Spring is not allowed. Zion National Park is working with the landowner to resolve access issues.

We will update our website and social media when we know more.

Narrows top-down to be re-opened through 2018.

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/ar...en-washington-county-landowners/#.W67aVhNKg6u

ST. GEORGE — The top-down hike through the Narrows, one of Zion National Park’s most iconic features, will reopen after a temporary agreement was reached between Washington County and private landowners.

The agreement will reopen the Narrows for public access starting Saturday until the end of the year with an easement, said Zachary Renstrom, chairman of Washington County Commission. The announcement was made at a special commissioner meeting Friday.

“It is a temporary agreement, but at least it opens it right now and gives us additional time,” Renstrom said.

Zion National Park officials announced they were stopping issuing permits for the 16-mile Narrows top-down hike Tuesday, after members of the Bulloch family, who own property that hikers need to cross along the trail, placed signs in the canyon that read “Private property, no trespassing.”

Renstrom, who met with the landowners to facilitate the agreement, said the landowners were planning to hike into the canyon to remove the “no trespassing” signs Friday afternoon, meaning Zion National Park could start issuing permits again once the agreement is signed by the landowners, hopefully by Saturday, he said.

Blocking access to the Narrows has upset many people who traveled from across the world to hike through the canyon, Renstrom said. The landowners understand this and want to be able to allow the thousands of people to pass through their land in the Narrows each year, he said.

The landowners have just been frustrated after trying for four years to get the federal government to hold easements on their property, Renstrom said.

They just want to be compensated for their land

“They just want to be compensated for their land,” Renstrom said.

While the temporary agreement only allows hikers to pass through his property until Dec. 31, Renstrom is hoping the federal government will strike a permanent deal with the Bulloch family and purchase a conservation easement through the family’s land.

The conservation easement that the landowners want on their land will allow public access through the Narrows and prevent them from placing buildings or developing the land. However, they’re also hoping to continue using their land for hunting and cattle, Renstrom said.

“I think that’s the best solution, (Zion National Park) thinks it’s the best solution, the landowners think it’s the best solution – it’s just the other federal bureaucrats that have been holding up the process,” Renstrom said.

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From ZION FB page:

Zion National Park Again Issuing Narrows Permits

SPRINGDALE, UT – Zion National Park has resumed issuing permits for the top - down Zion Narrows route for day hikes and overnight use. The permitted route will reopen the morning of Saturday, September 29, 2018. Permits for day use and Narrows backcountry camping reservations can be picked up at the park visitor center.

A temporary recreational access license has been granted to Washington County through the end of 2018. “We greatly appreciate the goodwill of the landowners and the efforts of the Washington County Commission in quickly resolving access concerns at the entrance to the Virgin River Narrows,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent. Discussions are ongoing to secure a more permanent solution.

Day hiking from the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (accessible by park shuttle) is open to hiking north to Big Spring within the Narrows without a permit.

Canyoneering summary:

Echo Canyon and Observation Point Canyon closed until further notice.

Pictures (from the Park photographer):

It’s almost like the canyon is trying to tell us something.

Found on FB:

New sign at Boundary first rap

This is basically just so that people don't sue the LDS land owners over injuries. They are giving out RLA's quite readily from what I'm told.

Sorry to offend some but you have to love what attorneys are doing to this country

Boundary Canyon is 100% on public land. The creekbed never crosses private land. Here is a map with the land ownerships annotated.

Update (thanks to Paula Murphy):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/can...k/740628203071029/?comment_id=740669366400246

It's LDS property. You can call them and fill out a Recreational License Agreement for no charge... it's basically a waiver so that no one can sue the church in case of an injury. If you choose not to do the RLA, at least it's posted that you were trespassing, so you also couldn't sue for any injuries. He said explicitly that no one was seeking to arrest anyone... they just don't want to be liable for any incidents.

No. The canyon itself at least is 100% public land.

Yes, you can approach and descend the canyon on public land. The area at the head of the technical canyon is on Stake Camp property, at least, based on the fence and signs in the area, and what is left of the road, but the fence and signs may not be in the correct place. You could probably cross to the north side of the creek and avoid the area that looks like it is part of the Stake Camp property.

Getting outa there afterwards involves crossing parcel 120-HV, which belongs to a Stake in Nevada, part of the LDS Church. I you hike up the MIA Exit, you cross the Parcel. If you hike down Kolob Creek to The Narrows, you cross the Parcel (not sure of the current state of Creekbed Law in Utah).

http://geo.washco.utah.gov/Html5Viewer/?viewer=WashingtonCounty

http://eweb.washco.utah.gov:8080/recorder/taxweb/results.jsp?AccountNumID=147192

https://www.tpl.org/zion-narrows

The Zion Narrows Trail is protected forever
by The Trust for Public Land

The Zion Narrows Trail is protected forever
December 17, 2019
Big news for national park fans: One of Zion National Park’s most iconic hikes, the Narrows Trail, is now permanently protected from closure and development.

Hiking the Narrows is an immersive experience. The route follows the Virgin River into a deep slot canyon in a remote corner of southern Utah, with sculpted sandstone walls soaring more than a thousand feet overhead. And for much of the 16-mile trek, the canyon is so narrow that hikers are literally immersed in the river, with nowhere to walk but in the rocky streambed itself.

The Narrows Trail is a 16-mile route through one of the most spectacular slot canyons in the Southwest. But even those who've hiked the Narrows don't realize that part of the route has crossed private land.Photo credit: Mike Schirf

For well-prepared hikers, a trip down the Narrows is a challenging, unforgettable experience. But not many people realize that this adventure of a lifetime has rested on tenuous ground. The Narrows Trail actually begins outside Zion National Park, traversing private property before crossing the park boundary. Public access to the Narrows has depended on informal agreements with local landowners.

We’ve been working to secure permanent public access to the Narrows for years. In 2013, we protected Chamberlain Ranch, one of two private properties along the route. That deal ensured that the Narrows Trailhead and the first few miles of the trek would remain open to the public forever.

But our job wasn’t done: the Narrows cuts through the privately owned 880-acre Simon Gulch, just outside the park boundary.

The Zion Narrows Trail traverses two private properties before entering the national park. As of today, The Trust for Public Land has guaranteed public access to both private properties forever.Photo credit: The Trust for Public Land

So we kept working to find a solution that benefits everyone. And today, we’re proud to announce that we’ve struck a deal: Simon Gulch is now protected with a conservation easement guaranteeing permanent public access to the last at-risk section of the Narrows Trail.

“People come from all over the world to do this iconic hike,” says Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. “On behalf of the generations of future visitors who will benefit from this easement, we want to thank the State of Utah, Washington County, other partners, and the landowner for assuring access to this true wilderness experience in perpetuity."

It’s an exciting milestone for anyone who daydreams about this one-of-a-kind hike … and given that 2019 is the 100th anniversary of Zion National Park, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate!

We couldn’t have done it without support from our members. Right now, when you donate to The Trust for Public Land, your year-end tax-deductible gift will be matched $1-for-$1. Join us to help keep our national parks open and accessible to all people, forever!

UPDATE: the park has announced new measures, starting tomorrow (March 24, 2020).

• • • Effective March 24, 2020, Zion National Park will temporarily close the Angels Landing Trail from Scout Lookout to the end of the trail. The West Rim Trail will remain open.

• • • Effective March 25, 2020 at noon, Zion National Park will close park campgrounds. With this closure, it is important to remember that no other areas in the Park are authorized for camping

Well since there's nothing else to worth doing in Zion besides Angels landing I guess I'll stay home.

Perhaps a rumor that I haven’t bothered to investigate...

But I heard they closed angels landing because of the many hands sharing the chains creating germ-sharing opportunities.

On a normal day, hiking Angels Landing and staying 6 feet away from all Vectors is absolutely impossible. Even without the chain migration, this is sufficient to make it a public health hazard. It was a hazard, they closed it. Shoulda Woulda Coulda done so earlier...

Tom

YES

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/03/31/springdale-ask-that-zion/

Springdale’s leaders agreed Tuesday it’s time to ask that Zion National Park — one of the most popular natural attractions in the United States — be closed until the coronavirus pandemic resides.

Mayor Stan Smith, in a Town Council meeting held online, said he has drafted a letter to the park’s superintendent asking for the closure and would deliver the message Tuesday or Wednesday. The National Park Service has said it closes parks only in consultation with local governments.