You can expect to see lots of traffic, and visitors, if you visit Zion National Park over the next eight days due to spring break for many colleges and universities/Rebeca Latson

With Spring Break starting for many colleges and universities this week, you're likely to encounter higher than normal crowds for the next week at Zion National Park in Utah. Park staff are anticipating conditions similar to last year’s Spring Break crowds, where parking can fill by 10 a.m., with shuttle bus lines at the visitor center as long as 45 minutes.

Road and sidewalk construction continues in Springdale at the park's south entrance, which means traffic congestion, and fewer parking options. The park will provide a modified in-town shuttle service to help with getting Springdale visitors into Zion.

The in-town shuttle service will begin pick up service at 8:10 a.m. at the corner of Lion Blvd and Winderland Lane (next to town hall), then continue on Winderland Lane, which loops back to SR 9 (Zion Blvd). The shuttle will then turn Left at SR 9, heading north toward the park, and resume the normal stops back to Zion Canyon Village where visitors can access the pedestrian entrance into the park. This modified service will run every 15 to 20 minutes with the last shuttle leaving Zion Canyon Village back to town departing at 9 p.m.

Zion Superintendent, Jeff Bradybaugh asks that “all visitors coming to the park this week have extra patience and vigilance, especially for the safety of others in town while construction continues along the roadways.”

The Zion Visitor Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily beginning this Saturday. The Zion Human History Museum will be open from noon to 4 p.m. with ranger-led patio talks at 2 p.m. on the weekends, and at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on week days. The park shuttle service will begin service at the Visitor Center at 7 a.m. heading up canyon, with the last shuttle leaving the Temple of Sinawava (stop 9) at 8:15 p.m. heading back to the Visitor Center.