Zion's Weeping Rock and Other Trails Closed "Indefinitely"

Above, Weeping Rock from the Weeping Rock trail. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Weeping Rock and other Zion National Park trails are now closed "indefinitely" due to the possibility of new rockfalls.

According to The Spectrum:

A rockfall in late August dumped 435,712 cubic feet of debris onto Weeping Rock trail and nearby trails at Zion National Park and a new report from the Utah Geological Survey finds similar rockfalls could happen at any time in the area. 

“With annual visitation exceeding 4.3 million in 2018, the likelihood of geologic hazards affecting park visitors and infrastructure continues to rise,” the survey states. 

The rockfall occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2019, injuring three visitors. A piece of Navajo sandstone weighing over 31,000 tons, broke off Cable Mountain, about 3,000 feet above Weeping Rock. The rockfall caused an avalanche of debris to fall on the Weeping Rock trailhead parking lot, the trail itself, Hidden Canyon trail, East Rim trail, with some rocks flowing across the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive to the Virgin River.

Park officials have said that the trails affected by this rockfall will be closed to hikers indefinitely. Cass Bromley, the chief of resource management and research for the park, said the area is still experiencing lots of movement from precipitation and colder weather. She said the park is "letting winter and water do its work."

To read more, go here.