2009 Holiday Schedule for Zion National Park

2009 Holiday Schedule for Zion National Park
Date: December 20, 2009
Contact: Ron Terry, 435-772-0160

Zion National Park will be open every day during the holiday season, including Christmas and New Years Days. However, the Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyons Visitor Centers will be closed on Christmas Day, as in the past. The visitor centers will be open on New Years Day. The Zion Human History Museum is closed for the winter.

On Christmas Day, park information is available on the trip planning exhibits on the Zion Canyon Visitor Center plaza and in the park newspaper, distributed at the entrance stations. Rangers will be staffing the entrance stations and the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. Rangers will also be on patrol throughout the park to provide visitor assistance. Backcountry permit may be obtained by contacting a ranger at the South Entrance Station.

The Zion Lodge will be open throughout the holiday season offering lodging, meals and a gift shop. Ranger conducted evening programs will be offered at the Zion Lodge auditorium on December 26 and January 1 and 2 at 8 p.m.

A trip to the park on a winter day can be a particularly rewarding experience, especially if the surrounding cliffs and mountains are cloaked in snow. Zion Canyon is quiet and peaceful, wildlife is abundant, and the scenery is spectacular as always. Hiking opportunities exist even in the winter months but portions of some trails may be closed due to icy conditions.