The Zion Narrows route at Zion National Park has been closed to visitors/NPS
Editor's note: This corrects that the private property in question is between the Chamberlain Ranch and the Narrows.
If there's one iconic backcountry trip at Zion National Park in Utah that lures visitors from around the world, it's the 16-mile hike through the Zion Narrows. On Tuesday, however, that trek was put out of reach when a private landowner closed his property as an access point to The Narrows.
"Effective immediately, Zion National Park has stopped issuing Wilderness permits to hike the Zion Narrows from North to South (“top-down”)," park staff said. "This includes the 16-mile one-way day hike and all overnight use."
That announcement followed the appearance of "Private Property, No Trespassing" signs on the approach to The Narrows that crosses the Chamberlain Ranch on the northern end of the route. Also posted were "property for sale" signs, according to park staff.
The Narrows is one of the park's most popular attractions. A slot canyon 2,000 feet deep in places, only 20-30 feet wide in others, The Narrows is a popular draw for hikers and, on occasion, white-water aficionados.
It is also one of the most dangerous journeys in Zion, as even during the dry season hikers can find themselves faced with cold water to wade, walk, or swim through, and flash floods spawned far upstream can scour the canyon with deadly floods. In a brief release announcing the development, Zion staff said they were working with the landowner in an attempt to resolve the matter.
Day hiking from the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive (accessible by park shuttle) is open to hiking north to Big Springs within the Narrows. Upstream travel from Big Springs is not allowed.
Trust For Public Land staff said Wednesday that the property in question that created the access problem is not the Chamberlain Ranch itself, but another parcel that lies between the ranch and the Narrows.
“The Trust for Public Land has been working for over a decade to protect the splendor of Zion National Park and secure access to the Zion Narrows, one of America’s most iconic outdoor experiences. In 2013 we were able to successfully conserve the 285-acre Chamberlain Ranch, which today provides one of the main access points to the Zion Narrows Trail," said Jim Petterson, the Trust's Southwest area director.
"We have been working closely for over three years with the owners of the 880-acre Simon Gulch property and key federal and state agencies to protect the property from subdivision and to secure a permanent access easement through the property for the Zion Narrows trail," he added in an email. "The Simon Gulch property is adjacent to Zion National Park, and borders two Bureau of Land Management Wilderness Study Areas. It includes over a mile of the Zion Narrows Trail, and a mile of the North Fork River, which offers important wildlife habitat and is a vital source of drinking water for downstream communities. We are working hard to find a solution that resolves this access issue and restores public access to this remarkable natural resource.”
Zion officials acknowledged Tuesday evening that there have been ongoing efforts to resolve the access issue.
“The landowners have been involved in a process with two programs (not NPS) to grant a conservation easement on their lands immediately outside the park that constitute the only hiking access to The Narrows from the top - down," Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh told the Traveler. "Those discussions have been ongoing, but the landowners have taken the step to post their land against trespass.”
Access across the Chamberlain Ranch has been closed, at least temporarily.
Comments
"Has anyone looked into the possibility that a public prescriptive easement was established by continuous use?" That wouldn't bode well for current and future easements the parks enjoy. I hope a resolution can be found. It is a truly unique and wonderful hike.
I only mention it because in my state there have been public prescriptive easements established by continuous public use. Something like people continuously using a shortcut across a private parking lot, where the owner might have set up a gate but was forced by a court to open it.
Agreed.
I agree with Mike W. Government policy and employiees can bbe very hostile
wild - the fact he gave permission in the past eliminates the potential for a prescriptive easement.
I would too if I were the landowner, people are traversing your property and potentially wrecking your stuff. You also have to pay for the wear and tear on the roads from vehicles. There is more than one way to get into the narrows, this is the easiest way, I'm not too worried about it. Also, in Utah you do have to shut down roads once or twice a year, or they become a public easment and you lose the right to control it.
Private property owners don't need a reason to deny access.
Well said Steve456. This is precisely the case for Death Point in Kolob Canyons - supposedly the best view in Zion National Park. The landowners in that area asked two things:
1. That restrooms be installed at the trailhead (for obvious reasons).
2. That the feds share in the expense to maintain the roads to the trailhead.
At least these are the issues of which I am aware. The NPS refusal to do either led to the elimination of access to this area.