Zion National Park To Ban Large Vehicles From Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway In 2026

Above, the east entrance into the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the big attractions of Zion National Park is the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway that includes a mile-long tunnel. 

The last time I drove the highway was in 2015 while heading home from Yellowstone National Park.

According to SF Gate, the tunnel has seen too many problems with large vehicles, including vehicles getting stuck and crashes. 

They wrote: 

Zion National Park’s Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and its historic bridges and tunnel offer the fastest route between Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon national parks. The famous tunnel was the longest of its kind in the United States when it was completed in 1930, but for the past three decades, it’s been plagued with congestion, crashes and oversized vehicles becoming stuck. Now, big changes are in store.

Beginning in mid-2026, large vehicles will be required to skirt the 11.9-mile Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and its tunnel. Matthew Fink, a spokesperson for Zion National Park, told SFGATE that the park service doesn’t have an exact date for when the change takes effect. But once it does, visitors traveling in recreational vehicles, tour buses and other oversized vehicles will be ushered toward alternate routes, extending their travel time by 10 to 45 minutes. 

The National Park Service policy will be: 

Vehicles exceeding 11’4” tall, 7’10” wide, 35’9” long, or 50,000 pounds cannot pass through Zion National Park’s Zion-Mount Carmel Highway safely and will be rerouted in 2026.

Above, the clearance of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel is 13'1". Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My Class C motorhome is within the future limit as it is exactly 11' tall.

To read more, go here.