Three visitors were injured, and a number of visitors were temporarily stranded at the Weeping Rock Trail Saturday evening, after a rockfall occurred.
Park employees responded to the Weeping Rock area to find that a large chunk of rock broke off of Cable Mountain, just above Weeping Rock.
The rockslide occurred around 6 p.m. near the East Rim Trail where it knocked down several trees and showered visitors near the area and on the trail below with branches, dust and smaller rocks as the boulder that fell broke apart.
Due to the damage done during the rockfall, the Weeping Rock Trail and Weeping Rock Shuttle Stop (Stop #7) are closed until further notice. The Echo Canyon and Observation Point Canyon canyoneering routes are also closed, as is the East Rim Trail from Observation Point to Weeping Rock.
Trail Closures in Zion national Park
Zion national Park currently has five trail closures including:
- Weeping Rock Trail
- The Upper Emerald Pools Trail
- Hidden Canyon Trail
- Observation Point Trail
- Parts of the Kayenta Trail
As closures have increased within the park, it’s important to remember that the closures have little to do with the rise in visitors or human impacts.
In a statement from the National Parks Service they stated that the same dynamic geology that brings so many visitors to the park is the same force behind these closures. While the geology of Zion appears to be unchanging and stable, it is still constantly in motion.
While loose falling rocks can be very destructive to the different trails throughout the park, park officials try their best in finding ways around these rockfalls and closures. In some cases, new trails are designed around a rockfall area if the damage done to the previously existing trail is extensive enough that it destroyed a specific section of it.
To help ensure that you can get the most out of your next visit to Zion National Park, be sure to check the current conditions updated offered by the National Park Service to know which trails are closed, or what conditions are looking like before arriving at the park.
