Rockfalls caused by rain damage roads inside Zion National Park

David DeMille, St. George Spectrum & Daily News
·1 min read
Work crews head out into the rain to work on infrastructure damaged beneath a road inside Zion National Park by a recent rockfall. Heavy rain and snow has caused several rockfalls in the park in recent weeks, with some doing significant damage and forcing temporary road closures.
Work crews head out into the rain to work on infrastructure damaged beneath a road inside Zion National Park by a recent rockfall. Heavy rain and snow has caused several rockfalls in the park in recent weeks, with some doing significant damage and forcing temporary road closures.

The recent series of storms that hit southwestern Utah in recent days have done significant damage inside Zion National Park, damaging roadways and forcing some road closures.

The park remained open as of Thursday, although its northern Kolob Canyons section was closed to most activities. No injuries had been reported.

Crews had responded earlier this week to rockfalls along the park's Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the main entrance to the park's main canyon, park officials announced. Similar problems were reported on Kolob Canyons Road farther north, where visitors access the park via Interstate 15.

A large boulder sits at the site where a rockfall damaged Zion Canyon Scenic Drive late Tuesday inside Zion National Park.
A large boulder sits at the site where a rockfall damaged Zion Canyon Scenic Drive late Tuesday inside Zion National Park.

Zion Canyon Scenic Drive was down to a single lane near the work area, although the park's shuttle service was still in operation. The road could close temporarily depending on the work needed, according to a release from the park.

In the meantime, engineers and maintenance staff were working to assess the damage, including a ruined sewer cover and vertical pipe that connects it to the park's sewer system.

Utility crews were also working to repair buried electrical lines. Electricity at the Zion Lodge was interrupted from Tuesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon.

At Kolob Canyons Road, the visitor center has been closed since March 15 as engineers and maintenance crews work to monitor road conditions and perform whatever repairs are needed to reopen the road.

Engineers and maintenance crews assess the damage along a roadway in the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park.
Engineers and maintenance crews assess the damage along a roadway in the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park.

The total damage done was unknown as of Thursday, with crews still working to find problems.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Zion National Park reports rockfalls caused by storms