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ZION NATIONAL PARK — Changes are coming to Zion National Park in September as Angels Landing reopens and Zion-Mount Carmel Highway temporarily closes.
Angels Landing
Popular hiking trail Angels Landing is anticipated to reopen mid- to late-September, Zion National Park officials said in a Facebook post. The trail closed along with other hiker favorites in mid-July after severe storms caused flooding and rockfalls.
The trails crew has been working since then to repair the damage. The storm washed out a portion of the trail, a retaining wall and the check dams built over 100 years ago to protect the trail, the park said.
So far, the crew has hauled up about 90 cubic yards of rock to build four new check dams that will protect the trail during future storms, according to the park. The crew has also managed to stabilize the ends of the trail and will build a new bridge to span the gap where the trail and retaining wall washed away.
All building materials are hauled up 660 feet, or more than twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, the park said.
“We use small tracked vehicles and some very fit and skilled staff to do the work safely, in a way that protects the historic aspects of trail, and the magnificence of the canyon. We look forward to reopening the trail,” the post reads.
Zion-Mount Carmel Highway
The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway which connects state Route 9 between Springdale and Mt. Carmel Junction will temporarily close through Zion National Park on Sept. 5 and 6 from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. while crews make emergency repairs to the asphalt roadway and historic road guard walls, officials said.
The road and guard walls were damaged in mid-July when a storm pounded the park with three inches of rain in three hours, the park said in an emailed statement. The road repairs are necessary to prevent further damage.
Drivers can take alternate east and west routes via Highway 59 from Hurricane to Fredonia, Arizona, and Highway 14 from Cedar City to Long Valley Junction and Highway 89.
Those coming to the park can travel east on state Route 9 from I-15.
