The highway through Zion National Park is expected to reopen on Friday, Oct. 9, after being shut down on Sept. 30 due to a major rockfall. Park officials announced the road would reopen to day-use on Tuesday and be fully open at 9 a.m. on Friday after rocks were removed and temporary repairs were made. Initial estimates had suggested the closure could last several weeks, but crews cleared the route much sooner than expected.
Work was conducted from both ends of the highway, with Kane County crews approaching from the east entrance and National Park Service teams working from the west side. Photos from the scene showed large boulders blocking the road, but crews used jackhammers and heavy equipment to clear the debris quickly. The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, a historic route built between 1927 and 1930, includes a 5,613-foot tunnel constructed by the Nevada Construction Company at a cost of $503,000 in 1930—equivalent to over $10.5 million today.
While permanent asphalt repairs may cause minor disruptions in the coming weeks, the park is preparing for a large influx of visitors over the Columbus Day weekend. Restrictions on large vehicles, implemented on June 7, 2026, remain in place to improve safety, requiring some traffic to detour around the park. Zion National Park lies approximately 150 miles northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 to the west entrance at Springdale, Utah.
Sources: 8 News Now
Original reporting: 8 News Now →
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