Capitol Reef National Park proposes major rehabilitation project on Scenic Drive

In the latest effort to combat overcrowding at one of Utah's "Mighty 5" national parks, officials at Capitol Reef National Park are proposing a revamp of the roadway and infrastructure along its iconic Scenic Drive roadway.

A 7.9-mile paved road that runs in a loop through the heart of the park, the Scenic Drive needs new parking lots, an updated drainage system, lane widening and other work to accommodate increased numbers of visitors, according to materials published on the National Park Service's project description page.

The park, located in south-central Utah, was long a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes, and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline extending almost 100 miles.

But these days, the park has become much busier. Capitol Reef saw more than 1.2 million visitors in 2022, roughly double the numbers counted a decade earlier.

The infrastructure along the Scenic Drive is even older, with many of its parking lots originally designed and built in the 1960s, when annual visitation was about 160,000.

"Parking lots are routinely overcrowded, resulting in visitors parking along adjacent roadways causing resource and safety concerns," according to an email from park officials. "The parking lot at Chimney Rock Trailhead and Scenic Drive shows signs of pavement cracking, shoulder erosion, and damage to various drainage structures."

Parking lots are routinely overcrowded, resulting in visitors parking along adjacent roadways causing resource and safety concerns. The parking lot at Chimney Rock Trailhead and Scenic Drive shows signs of pavement cracking, shoulder erosion, and damage to various drainage structures.

The new project would look to expand parking capacity and improve the delineation of parking spots. Other proposed improvements would include improved drainage to address the area’s flood-prone landscape; widened roads, especially in tight curve areas; and major accessibility improvements including additional accessible parking spaces, sidewalks, and low-slope grading.

To complete the work, Scenic Drive would be closed for construction from approximately April to October 2024, according to the project description. The visitor center parking lot would be partially closed, and the Chimney Rock parking lot would be closed in the spring or fall 2024.

Capitol Reef National Park conducted investigations to identify possible cultural and natural resource impacts due to the proposed project. Proposed improvements may result in adverse effects to the Capitol Reef Mission 66 District and the Scenic Drive Cultural Landscape. A draft memorandum of agreement to address resolution of impacts to the district is included in the materials in the below link.

The project website provides project information about the proposed improvements, project design, and the draft Memorandum of Agreement to address impacts to cultural resources.

A virtual meeting will be held on June 21, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom at

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81181315206; Webinar ID: 811 8131 5206 or join by phone (toll free): 1-877-853-5247; call in passcode: 311321.

Comments can also be submitted online anytime before July 6, 2023, at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/CARE265911, or written comments can be submitted by mail and must be postmarked by June 30, 2023, to:

Superintendent Attn: Rehabilitate Scenic Drive and Multiple Parking Lots HC70 Box 15, Torrey, Utah 84775

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Capitol Reef National Park proposes major project on Scenic Drive