SPRINGDALE – Zion National Park and the Federal Highway Administration are moving ahead with work to reopen all of Kolob Canyons Road to visitors.
A front loader on Kolob Canyons Road approaches two holes filled with cement in Zion National Park, Oct. 24, 2023 | Photo by Ally O’Rullian, National Park Service, St. George News
To complete paving, the road will be closed at Taylor Creek Trailhead starting Monday, Nov. 13, according to a National Park Service news release.
This means Kolob Canyons Road will be open as far as Taylor Creek Trailhead. Drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and horse riders will not be able to travel past Taylor Creek Trailhead due to construction.
Work is scheduled to be finished in winter 2024, but completion is dependent on the weather and availability of supplies. As work progresses, the park service will share more information as the project, which involves:
Excavating unstable materials and reinforcing the road’s base to a depth of eight feet with geo-grid, structural cloth, and compacted soil.
Repaving more than 6,000 square feet of road.
Installing ditches, gutter, and curbs to drain the road more effectively.
Due to construction, access to hiking trails in the area also has been impacted. Click here for details.
In March 2023, rangers observed a depressed area on the road and closed it as a precaution, the news release said. Shortly thereafter, the road began to collapse. The National Park Service worked with engineers from the Federal Highway Administration to assess the site and develop a plan to rehabilitate the road.