Zion's Shuttle Fleet Needs Replacing

Above, The Watchman and one of the shuttles at right. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To ease congestion in Zion National Park, the park has a fleet of shuttle buses to take visitors to all of the park's attractions.

But, those buses are aging and need replacement.

According to National Park Traveler:

After 19 years driving up and down Zion Canyon, it should be a surprise that the shuttle bus fleet at Zion National Park is beyond its expected life. What also shouldn't be surprising is that replacement parts for the fleet are getting harder to find, and funding to replace the buses is also hard to come by. 

"At some point things need to get replaced, so we’re working on that, but it’s a big price tag," Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said. "We’re trying to get funding through various grant sources and things like that.” 

The fleet of 39 buses has provided a great service the past two decades for the park and its visitors, navigating the tight and narrow two-lane road that runs up Zion Canyon to the final stop at the Temple of Sinawava, where the Virgin River flows out of a slot canyon. It's taken countless private vehicles off the road, shuttled hikers through the canyon, and allowed visitors to sit back and relax while gazing at the towering sandstone cliffs.

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