Visitors Crowd Into Zion National Park Over Memorial Day Weekend

Above, The Organ at Zion National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Having too many people in a small area at a national park is not my idea of fun.

This is what happened in a single day over the Memorial Day weekend at Zion National Park in Utah.

According to U.S. News & World Report:

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — More than 30,000 people crowded to Zion National Park in a single day over Memorial Day weekend as the iconic red-rock landscape at the already crowded park remains highly popular. 

The Deseret News reports that some visitors waited an hour and a half to ride the shuttle in the popular park. Visitation Zion has spiked by 60 percent increase over the last decade, and most people crowd to Zion Canyon, a 6-mile corridor along the Virgin River.

To read more, go here. 

Congestion At Zion National Park

Above, the Great White Throne. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One has to consider themselves lucky to have fully visited Zion National Park in Utah over the years before congestion took over.

There are more people (and vehicles than parking spaces) within the park. This is somewhat mitigated by the shuttle system. The last time we fully enjoyed the park was around 2003 and, at that time, we were still able to drive up to the Lodge. You can't do that anymore unless you have a special permit.

Amber and I drove through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel into the park three years ago, and that was basically it. We had hoped to breakfast at the Lodge's dining room, but that was out of the question, so we ended up eating in nearby Springdale.

There's just too many people in too small an area. That's why I prefer visiting national parks during the off-season.

To see how things currently are in Zion National Park, here's a new video by Campervan Kevin: