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Zion National Park Announces Campground and Wilderness Permit Changes Starting in 2024

Zion National Park recently announced in a press release several coming changes to campground fees and the wilderness permit reservation system that will take effect starting in 2024. These changes aim to improve the visitor experience and help the park manage rising visitation.

Beginning July 1 next year nightly fees at Watchman Campground, one of Zion’s most popular frontcountry campgrounds, will increase substantially. Electric sites will go from $30 to $45 per night, while non-electric sites will jump from $20 to $35 per night. 

South Campground, another frontcountry option, will also see its non-electric sites increase from $20 to $35 per night when it reopens for the season in spring 2024. The fee at the more remote Lava Point Campground will have a slight increase from $20 to $25 per night.

“We adopted these changes to improve accessibility and visitor service,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park Superintendent said in the release. “These changes are going to help us maintain essential facilities like restrooms and drinking water systems, rehabilitate campsites, and simplify applications for Wilderness Recreation Permits.”

The NPS cited rising visitation as a reason for the changes, with Zion recording over 5 million visits in 2021—the highest ever.

In addition to the campground fee changes, starting January 5, 2024, Zion National Park will transition its wilderness permit reservation system to Recreation.gov. 

The NPS stated this change will improve the user interface, communications with permit holders, and overall system resilience. It will also enable direct contact via email and text with permit holders.

With visitation increasing stress on Zion’s wilderness areas, the press release indicated the improved permit system will aid in visitor education and conservation. It also noted the park has not increased wilderness permit fees since 2016. Under the new system, both day-use and overnight wilderness permits will see fee increases.

Full details on the new fees, updated permit reservation process, and permit costs can be found in the National Park Service press release announcing these changes for 2024. Campground and wilderness area managers at Zion National Park believe these changes will ultimately improve the visitor experience in the face of rising demand on park resources.

Featured image from National Park Service/Bryanna Plog.

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runnerRick
runnerRick
February 23, 2024 4:53 am

It’s fantastic to see Zion National Park making changes to improve visitor experiences. I’m looking forward to the streamlined process for obtaining wilderness permits and the enhancements to the overall visitor experience. The increased campground fees will help maintain essential facilities.

Yara Field
Yara Field
March 20, 2024 12:26 am
Reply to  runnerRick

I am concernd about the increased campground fees at Zion National Park. It could make it harder for us to enjoy the great outdoors without breaking the bank. We might need to rethink our camping plans for next year. By the way, did you know that Zion is home to the stunning Angel’s Landing hike?

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Hi, you might find this article from Modern Campground interesting: Zion National Park Announces Campground and Wilderness Permit Changes Starting in 2024! This is the link: https://moderncampground.com/usa/utah/zion-national-park-announces-campground-and-wilderness-permit-changes-starting-in-2024/