Table Of ContentNational Park Service
U.S. Departmentofthe Interior
Zion National Park
Utah
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Zion National Park
General Management Plan
Zion National Park
Utah
Produced bythe Denver Service Center
National Park Service
U.S. Department ofthe Interior
Washington, DC
uMPM
PARK SERVICb
WATER RESOURCES
DIVISION
FORT COLLINS, COLORED
RESOURCE ROOM PROPERTY
Summary
Thepurposeofthisplanistodescribethe whilenewresearch natural areascovering6% of
generalpaththe National Park Serviceintendsto theparkwillbe designated. Interimgroupsize
followin managingZion National Parkoverthe limitsand newinterimgroup encounterrates
next20years. willbe instituted pendingthe completion ofthe
wildernessmanagementplan. Parkmanagers
The planwillprovideaframeworkforproactive mayneedtolimitorreducevisitornumberson
decision makingon such issuesasvisitoruse, 12trailsand routesintherecommendedwilder-
naturaland cultural resource management,and ness, includingpartoftheNarrows, MiddleFork
park development,whichwillallowpark man- ofTaylorCreek,andLaVerkin Creek. Only
agersto effectivelyaddressfutureproblemsand authorizedresearchand NPS-guided educa-
opportunities. In mostcases,newdevelopment tionalgroupswillbeallowed in 9,031 acresin
outside the parkwilltakeplaceto meetvisitor remotebackcountryareas (including
needs. Parunuweap Canyon) duetotheirdesignationas
research naturalareas.
Park managerswill make several changesto
proactivelyaddressimpactsresultingfrom The National ParkServicewill proposefive
increased levelsofvisitoruse.The parkwillbe BureauofLand Management (BLM) areas,total-
zonedtoensurethatresourcesareprotectedand ingapproximately950acres, fortransfertothe
opportunitiesareprovided forarangeofquality park. Nine accesseasements,totalingabout15
visitorexperiences. Mostofthe park (90%) will miles,andthree conservationeasements,totaling
continuetobe recommended forwildernessdes- 2,220acres,will be proposedonprivate lands
ignationandwillbe managed accordingto the outside thepark. Congressionalauthorization
provisions oftheWildernessAct. In the front- willberequiredforall theseactions.
countryno newmajorvisitorfacilitieswillbe
provided; however,smallvisitorfacilities,suchas Five drainagesand theirtributaries inthepark
picnicsitesandrestrooms,maybebuiltinsev- and sixtributarieson BLM landsadjacenttothe
eralareas,includingthe KolobCanyonsandthe parkwillbe included inthe nationalwildand
eastentrance. Voluntaryvisitorshuttles mayrun scenicriverssystem.Thefive drainagesinthe
alongtheZion-Mt. CarmelHighwayto the east parkare: the North ForkoftheVirgin River
entrance.TheZionCanyon Lodgewill continue aboveandbelowtheTemple ofSinawava,the
tooperateasithasinthepast. Partofthe North EastForkoftheVirgin River, NorthCreek,La
ForkoftheVirgin RiverinthemainZion VerkinCreek,andTaylorCreek.The drainages
Canyonwillbe restored toamorenatural condi- partlyon BLMlandsare: KolobCreek,Goose
tion. Creek,ShunesCreek,WillisCreek,Beartrap
Canyon,andtheMiddle Fork ofTaylorCreek.
Inthebackcountryseveral managementactions Congressional authorizationwillbe requiredfor
willbetaken.Threeexistingresearchnatural inclusionofthesedrainages inthenationalwild
areas (21% ofthepark) willbedeauthorized, and scenicriverssystem.
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Contents
Foundation for the Plan Maps
Purpose of and Need for a Plan 1 Location 4
Purposes, Significance, and Missions Goals 5 Areas of Relative Inaccessibility 29
Park Policies and Practices 6 Zoning 41
Primary Planning Issues and Concerns 21 Recommended Wilderness and Land Status 47
Issues to be Addressed in Future Plans 25 Park Boundary Adjustment and Adjacent
Landownership 51
Wild and Scenic Rivers 55
The Plan
Introduction 28
Summary of the Management Zones 32 Tables
General Management Strategies 35 1. Proposed Classification of Rivers 57
Zoning and Related Actions 40 2. River Mileage and Landownership of Suitable
Boundary Adjustments and Easements 50 Rivers 82
Proposals for wild, Scenic, and Recreational
River Designation 54
Implementation 58
Appendixes/Bibliography
Appendixes
A: RecordofDecision 6
B: StatementofFindings forFloodplains 67
C: Definitions ofthe ManagementZones 69
D: SummaryofResearch NaturalAreas 77
E: WildandScenic RiverEvaluation 80
F: Legislative Historic forZion NationalPark 83
G: SummaryofKeyLegal Mandates 84
Bibliography 86
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Purpose of and Need for a Plan
Asoneof384unitsinthe nationalparksystem, toaddressvisitorcarryingcapacity. One ofthe
Zion National Park isunderthemanagementof primarypurposesofthisplanistomeetthis
the National ParkService (NPS).The Park requirement. Carryingcapacityis definedunder
Servicemanagesallparkunitsinaccordance thevisitorexperienceand resourceprotection
withthe mandatein its1916 OrganicActand (VERP) frameworkasthetypeand levelof
otherlegislationto conserveresourcesunim- visitoruseaparkcanaccommodatewhilesus-
paired forthe enjoymentoffuturegenerations. tainingresourceandsocialconditionsthat
To helpachievethismandate,theNational Parks complementthepurposes oftheparkand its
and RecreationActof1978andNPS managementobjectives. In otherwords, carrying
ManagementPolicies (NPS2001) requireeach capacityisaprescriptionforthelevelsofvisitor
national parkunitto haveabroad-scalegeneral usein relationtovariousnatural resource and
managementplan (GMP). visitorexperienceconditions.Tosetupaframe-
workforaddressingcarryingcapacity,thepark
Thepurposeofthis GeneralManagementPlanis wasdivided intozonesthatdescribe differing
todescribethegeneralpaththe National Park desired resource conditionsandvisitorexperi-
Serviceintendstofollowin managingZion ences. (Notethatto fullyimplementthe VERP
National Park overthe next 20years.Theplan framework,afollow-up implementationplanis
doesnotprovidespecificand detailedanswers neededto identifykeysocialand natural
toeveryissueorquestion facingZion. However, resourceindicatorstobe monitored in eachof
theplandoesprovideaframeworkforproactive thepark'szones,setstandards [minimum
decisionmakingon suchissuesasvisitoruse, acceptable conditions] foreachindicator,and
naturaland cultural resourcemanagement,and developamonitoringprogram.)
parkdevelopment,whichwillallowparkman-
agersto effectivelyaddressfutureproblemsand Inadditionto meetingtherequirementsfor
opportunities. addressingvisitoruse management,park man-
agers neededthisnewplantoaddress other
Manychangeshaveoccurred in Zion National issuesandconcernsthathaveariseninthepast
Park, inthesurroundingarea,and inparkman- two decades.Theseissuesincludethoserelated
agementsinceZion'slastmasterplanwas toresearchnaturalareas (RNAs) (i.e.,areas
approved in 1977. In particular,parkvisitation administrativelydesignatedbyfederal land man-
hasgrown dramatically,withvisitoruselevels agementagencies forresearchandeducational
doublingbetween 1982and 1997.Thisincreasein purposesortomaintainbiological diversity),
use hasaffected park resourcesandthediversity noise,and land usesadjacentto thepark. With
ofvisitorexperiencesoffered inZion.TheZion mostofZionrecommended forwilderness
Canyonshuttlesystemalso has changedthe designation,the Park Servicealsoneedsthisnew
visitorexperience inthepark.Anewplan is plantoaddresshowthisdesignationwillaffect
essentialforprovidingguidancetomanage park management (e.g.,changesinparkzoning).
Zion'svisitorsinthe21stcentury,andthus Finally,anewplanpresentsan opportunityfor
ensurethepreservationofparkresourcesand parkmanagersto exploreand recommend other
provisionofopportunitiesforvisitorstohave changesrelatedtomanagingZion,suchaspro-
qualitypark experiences. posingboundaryadjustmentsandwildand
scenicriverdesignations.
BoththeNational ParksandRecreationActand
NPSpolicies requiregeneral managementplans
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Planning Assumptions
Several fundamental assumptions underpin the GeneralManagementPlan. These assumptions are con-
sidered "givens" for howthe park is managed in the future.
• Existing major developments in the park will remain, although theirfunctions maychange. Park staff
will continueto maintain the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, between the south and east entrances ofthe
park, which will remain opened tothrough (i.e., nonrecreational commuter) traffic.
• The National Park Service will not build newfacilities, such as campgrounds, lodges, roads, and full-
service visitor centers, within the park, aside from those associated with the transportation system. It
is assumed thatthe private sector will provide lodging and camping facilities outsidethe park.
• The National Park Service will continueto operatethe Zion Canyon shuttle system, as described in the
1997 Canyon Transportation System EnvironmentalAssessment.
• Park managerswill adjusfstaffing levelsto reflectthe increase in workloads.
2 Zion National ParkGeneralManagementPlan
Brief Description of the Park
Located in Washington, Iron, and Kane Counties in southwestern Utah, Zion National Park encompasses
some ofthe most scenic canyon country in the United States (see the Location map). The park is charac-
terized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep, sand-stone canyons, and striking rock towers and
mesas. Zion Canyon isthe largest and most visited canyon in the park. The North Fork ofthe Virgin
River has carved a spectacular gorge here, with canyon walls in most places rising 2,000to 3,000 feet
above the canyon floor. The southern part ofthe park is a lower desert area, with colorful mesas bor-
dered by rocky canyons and washes. The northern sections ofthe park are higher plateaus covered by
forests.
Zion is one ofthe earliest additionsto the national park system. On July 31, 1909, PresidentTaft issued
a proclamation setting aside 15,200 acres asthe Mukuntuweap National Monument. In 1918 another
presidential proclamation enlarged the monumentto 76,800 acres and changed its nameto Zion
National Monument. Congress established the area as a national park in 1919. A second Zion National
Monument (now called the Kolob Canyons) was established by presidential proclamation in 1937.
Congress added the Kolob Canyonsto Zion National Park in 1956. The park currently encompasses
148,016 acres. An additional 3,490 acres of private inholdings are present in the KolobTerrace area, on
the west side ofthe park. (The inholding acreage and all ofthe other park acreage figures included in
this document are based on geographic information system (GIS) calculations. These figures may not
correspond with legal description acreages.)
Zion is part ofthe Southwest's "Grand Circle" of national parks, monuments, historical areas, and recre-
ational areas. Visitors reach the park via Interstate 15, which provides accesstothe Kolob Canyons area,
and Utah Route 9. Zion is 158 miles northeast of LasVegas and 320 milessouthwest ofSalt Lake City.
The town of Springdale is lessthan a mile from the park's south entrance. Other nearbytowns include
Kanab (41 milesfrom the Zion Canyon Visitor Center), St. George (43 miles), and Cedar City (60 miles).
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