Utah's parks are getting hotter— not just in temperature but in popularity.
Zion National Park, formerly the nation's third-most-popular park and now the second, broke records with 5 million visitors in 2021,making Zion the fourth national park to ever reach that number, newly-posted official figures showed Tuesday.
Trail closures:Zion National Park closing trails like Watchman, Scout Lookout for maintenance
While some are celebrating the bounce back from the pandemic dip and economic perks, some are growing ever more concerned on how to manage visitors.
"It’s no surprise that the beauty of Zion National Park continues to draw record-breaking numbers of visitors, but we are past the tipping point where overcrowding and understaffing are affecting people’s park trips, with seemingly endless traffic, crowded trails and long lines,"Cory MacNulty, associate director of the Southwest Region for the National Parks Conservation Association toldThe Spectrum.
"It doesn’t have to be this way," she said.
Visitor management is on the minds of every tourism official in the state and beyond, including in the U.S. Senate where Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) applauded Zion's tactics and leadership last July.
AndZion isn't the only Utah national park that broke visitation records last year— three other national parks did too.
Arches National Park saw a record 1.8 million visitors, about 150,000 more than in 2019.
Arches also saw record temporarily delayed closures due to high traffic volume, leading the park to institute a timed-ticketed system last December.
Canyonlands National Park, Utah's least-visited national park,nearly broke a million visitors.
And Capitol Reef National Park topped 1.4 million visitors, some 175,000 more than 2019.
Bryce Canyon National Park is the only park that didn't break a record, counting 2.1 million visitors last year, not enough to top its 2018 record of 2.7 million.
Yet, Zion still takes the lead with more visitors than Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon combined. And Zion bumped Yellowstone National Park out of the second-place spot for the most popular park, but still behind the Great Smoky Mountains.
Vicki Varela, director of the Utah Office of Tourismsaid her office compared 2019 to 2021 figures, leaving out 2020 because of the pandemic anomalies, and found that Zion experienced a 12.3% increase in visitation— over double the national average of 5.3%.
"It's sort of surprising but consistent with the experience that we've all had the past couple of years, that people want what Utah has," she said.
Zion: A year in review
It was a big year for Zion.
The year started off with a ticketed shuttle system due to pandemic measures, which was abruptly abandoned right before Memorial Day.
Almost exactly a year ago, it received agrant of$33 million from the federal Department of Transportation to replace the park's aging shuttle system, a direct result of an investigative series byThe Spectrum.
Read more:Zion National Park receives $33 million for electric shuttle buses
Later in the year, the first electric shuttles were unveiled in Kanab, though a proposition to extend the shuttle system from Zion to Kanab and eastward failed in November's election.
Proposition fails:No Zion National Park public shuttle system in Kane County
And after a woman went missing in Oct. 2020, Zionreleased the investigative filesin early 2021, showing how much the park spendson search rescues.
In fact, search and rescues increased to record levels as well with over 150 incidents as of October, more than the previous two years combined, officials said at the time.
More:New information on Holly Courtier's Zion search and rescue
The park has taken measures to curb the effects of overtourism by introducing a lottery permit system for the popular hike Angels Landing in December.
Overtourism concerns:Zion National Park's Angels Landing transitions to lottery
And then the floods came— literally.
Monsoon and flash flood season returned in June after a dry 2020, destroying roads and some structures. Events were canceled like the Zion Music Festival which was meant to be held in the severely damaged O.C. Tanner Amphitheater.
However, it wasn't enough to knock out the toxic algae that have been looming in the Virgin River since July 2020, which killed a puppy at the time.
As high visitation started to arrive in the summer, so did the campers. An investigative series byThe Spectrumfound that illegal camping outside the park became unmanageable for land managers.
Read more:Illegal camping near Zion National Park poses fire danger, but agencies aren't stopping it
Another investigation byThe Spectrumfound that gateway town Springdale employees are pushed outand homeless, living on the land, because there is simply no housing in town— never mind the high prices.
Housing in southwestern Utah:Why the tourism boom at national parks is leaving local workers homeless
The gateway town of Springdale elected a new mayor, Barbara Bruno, who said her main challenges included "increased visitation and the impact on Zion National Park and Springdale, and the lack of housing for employees of the town, parkand local businesses."
More:Meet the new mayors-elect of Utah's national park gateway towns
Protecting the 'international recreation Mecca'
As the year progressed, international visitors began arriving again, formerly a huge source of visitation for the parks.
"When you are as internationally recognized as Utah is as an international recreation Mecca, then you have to be constantly planning and investing to protect that remarkable offering," Varela said.
Varela said strides have been made in combatting overtourism, which affects not only the environment and visitor experience. but local communities too.
"If the visitors are happy, but the local community isn't, then we haven't achieved success," she said.
More:Zion National Park chief speaks out against controversial ‘Above Zion’ glamping proposal
The Office of Tourism uses its "Forever Mighty Initiative" to combat overtourism and manage visitation with education, supporting local economies and responsible marketing.
Zion saw a record number of tourists infive months last year: January, February, March, April and June. Varela said increases — as high as 45%— in many off-season months show that the initiative is accomplishing its goal of spreading out visitation.
But, MacNulty said there are other concerns too like a decrease in park staffing— 13% in the last decade alone— despite the visitation increase.
To combat this, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has proposed an appropriations bill in Congress adding $340 million for the NPS, which would support the hiring of more than 1,000 employees.
"This support will help restore those lost positions as well as address today’s top challenges including increased visitation and impacts of climate change," MacNulty said.
As of early February, there have been no bills filed in the Utah Legislature relating directly to the state's national parks, besides some amendments to transient room taxes, general recreation,state monuments and the protection ofpetroglyphs.
Utah legislature:Can Utah national parks handle popularity after a record-breaking 2021?
Plus, not to mention the other effects of overtourism including trampled trails, traffic affecting noise and emissions, wildlife roadkill, vandalism, trash and human waste piling up and long lines.
Something has to be done to better manage visitors as currently, it is unsustainable, officials say. For MacNulty, a solution is clear— a reservation system.
"Other overcrowded national parks have rolled out reservation systems that are making a huge difference in making those parks more enjoyable for visitors and better for the park," she said.
K. Sophie Will is the National Parks Reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News through the Report for America initiative by The GroundTruth Project. Follow her on Twitter at @ksophiewillor email her at kswill@thespectrum.com. Donate to Report for America to support her workhere.
