August 19, 2009, 2:56 pm
ZION NATIONAL PARK — The Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel on the east side of Zion National Park will be closed to vehicles for three hours on Aug. 26. The closure will be in effect from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. During this time, vehicles will not be able to drive through the park on Highway 9. Alternate east/west routes are available via Highway 59 from Hurricane, Utah to Fredonia, Arizona and Highway 14 from Cedar City to Long Valley Junction and Highway 89.The three hour closure will allow pre-registered participants to walk through the 1.1 mile tunnel as visitors were able to do in the early days of the tunnel. Registration for the event was in June and the registration is full. This one-time event is one of the major events of the Zion National Park Centennial, celebrating its 100 years as a protected area.
During the event, traffic will be stopped at the east entrance to the park and at the Highway 9 junction with the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Traffic stopped at Canyon Junction will be directed to return to Springdale to wait for the road to open or to take one of the alternate routes. The park visitor center, museum, Zion Lodge, campgrounds, and shuttle buses will be open and operating as normal.
