Zion National Park reopens shuttles with fewer seats, tickets

SPRINGDALE, Utah — More than 3,400 people shuffled onto Zion’s shuttles on its reopening day Wednesday as the national park welcomes more visitors amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The shuttles, which have been closed since April, chugged up and down the canyon as per usual but carrying only 33 passengers each. Inside, most passengers wore masks and maintained social distance as every other seat was taken completely out of the bus with no standing allowed.

Both entrance fees to the park and preregistered tickets are now required in order to ride the shuttle. The previously free service now costs $1 through Recreation.gov, and the shuttle ticket is not included with your entrance fee. A price has been applied as a service fee for the website, Zion spokesperson Jeff Axel said.

But while thousands of more people can now come to Zion on a daily basis, the park is taking steps to curb COVID-19 infections.

“It’s a careful balance as we want to allow as much access as possible while following the health guidelines,” Axel said.

Masks are highly encouraged, but not mandatory, and rangers have boxes of free masks at the visitor’s center. At each shuttle stop, rangers check tickets and make sure no more than the maximum amount of people are allowed on the shuttle at once.

Axel said they are currently planning on adding more signs about masks and social distancing along the road throughout the park.

But parking is still an issue. The visitors center has 480 parking spots and there are about 200 parking spots within a 10-minute walk of the entrance. But visitor center parking filled up at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Depending on how the next few days play out, they might consider opening the museum parking, Axel said.

Currently, there are 23 shuttles with two cars attached cruising through the canyon. Axel said they are evaluating the situation daily and will make adjustments to shuttles and capacities if needed.

All this comes with a warning — if you want to get on the shuttle either direction without a ticket, you’re out of luck. And if you’re not on a shuttle by 8:15 p.m., you better start walking. Hikers are urged to be waiting for the shuttle by 7:30 p.m. to help ensure they get on one.

Before Wednesday, up to 400 people would line up starting the night before for the chance to be able to hike the Narrows. With no shuttles, the canyon was at capacity every morning by about 6 a.m.

The shuttles, however, are well overdue for an update. According to Axel, it is industry standard to replace shuttles like theirs after 10-15,000 hours of driving. However, Zion’s shuttles are well over 30,000 hours of driving and are over 20 years old. He estimated it will take about $50 million to replace the fleet.

These shuttles cause noise issues throughout the canyon as well as a headache for air quality. That, and maintenance costs are a huge hassle.

They’re hoping that in collecting entrance fees once more they can start to make up for the deficit they’ve accumulated since the pandemic began. With the revenue, they’re hoping to increase shuttle maintenance and overall park upkeep.

As for the shuttles in Springdale, there are currently no plans to restart service.

While private cars are no longer allowed on the scenic drive, if you’re staying at the Lodge or have a physical disability, you may receive a permit from rangers to park up the canyon.

On Tuesday, Zion released shuttle tickets through the month of July. While most days are already sold out, a select amount of tickets are available the day before you want to go at 9 a.m.

If Zion’s shuttles are sold out, then private shuttles are still allowed to travel through the canyon.

Overall, rangers were pleased with how reopening day went, saying it was “calm” and “not frenzied.” Rangers at the visitor center said there wasn’t more than a 15-minute wait and everything ran smoothly.

“We’ve been managing the situation well, there’s a calmness through the canyon. There’s more reliability with the shuttle,” Axel said.

This article was distributed through The Associated Press’ member exchange program.