Travel alert: SR-9 in Zion National Park reopens to standard-size vehicles after rockfall

A rockfall in Zion National Park west of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel caused the closure of a section of state Route 9, Zion National Park, Utah, Nov. 12, 2021 | Photo courtesy of National Park Service / David Dick, St. George News

SPRINGDALE — After closing Friday morning due to a rockfall in Zion National Park west of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, State Route 9 has reopened to standard-size vehicles.

Closure of SR-9 in Zion National Park due to a rockfall, Nov. 12, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Zion National Park, St. George News | Click to enlarge

Updated Nov. 12, 4:48 p.m., Information pertaining to the reopening of SR-9 has been added.

According to a press release from park officials, SR-9 reopened to standard-size vehicles at 4:30 p.m. The road will reopen to oversize vehicles at the regularly scheduled time of 8 a.m. on Saturday. The road was closed Friday morning from Canyon Junction to the east end of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel as maintenance workers remove the fallen rock and assess the condition of the road. The rest of the park remained open.

The rockfall did not damage any vehicles or cause any injuries and did not affect the road to Zion Canyon. Visitors could still access Zion Canyon using the park’s shuttle system. Shuttles leave from the park’s South Entrance at the Zion Canyon  Visitor Center in Springdale. Visitors traveling from east of Zion were asked to follow alternate routes to arrive at the park’s South Entrance.

Check the Zion National Park website to see alerts about the status of the road, and follow the park on social media to see photos of the ongoing work.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!