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Are Changes Coming To Zion National Park?

Cars line up at the south entrance to Zion National Park in Utah.
Education Images/UIG via Getty Images

Cars line up at the south entrance to Zion National Park in Utah.

People can't seem to get enough of Zion National Park.

More than 4 million people visited the Utah park last year, which broke Zion's annual record set all the way back in … 2015.

Those numbers have park officials concerned, so they're talking about ways limit access to preserve the park’s natural beauty.

Jack Burns is the Chief of Commercial Services and Partnerships at Zion National Park. He said while everyone loves coming to Zion, officials have to keep their focus on its mission. 

"I think what's first and foremost for us here at Zion is we really want to make sure that we are able to uphold our park mission, which is a mission that is in perpetuity," he said. "We really want to make sure Zion remains a special place for future generations who come after us."

Burns said the jump in visitors has already had an impact on the natural beauty of the park. He said there are now twice as many miles of visitor-created trails as there are trails created by the Park Service. He said those trails -- where people stepped off the designated trail and made their own path -- can cause damage to delicate natural habitat. 

Besides that, too many people can make for a less than enjoyable time in the park, Burns said. People don't want to take a vacation only to have no place to park, wait in a long line for a shuttle or not have a camping spot.

"We want to make sure that we maintain a quality park experience while we protect park resources," Burns said.

The National Park Service is looking at options for fixing the problems, including moving to a reservation system. 

"We can't shuttle our way out of it nor can we park our way out of it," he said. "Out of necessity, the park really has had to look at other options."

One thing the park is reluctant to do is to increase fees as a way to limit the number of visitors & bring in more money for conservation efforts.

"It's a slippery slope," Burns said. "It's very important to us that national parks remain places that are affordable to the general public."

The Park Service wants to hear what the public has to say about fixing the problem, and has a portal soliciting feedback. 

Jack Burns, Chief of Commercial Services and Partnerships, Zion National Park

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Casey Morell is the coordinating producer of Nevada Public Radio's flagship broadcast State of Nevada and one of the station's midday newscast announcers. (He's also been interviewed by Jimmy Fallon, whatever that's worth.)