The backcountry in Zion National Park is extraordinary. The geology and climate combine to create a unique environment - a grand sweep of steep cliffs and deep, narrow canyons that require the use of ropes and special techniques for descent. The unique nature of the Zion backcountry calls for special understanding and management to preserve its unique qualities, while allowing for recreational access.

The Zion Canyoneering Coalition is an organization of visitors to this unique environment that believe recreational access and preservation of wilderness qualities are compatible. The ZCC advocates for management solutions that make sense for the unique geologic and social situations found in the technical Zion Backcountry.

This is a somewhat oblique request for comments which we hope canyoneers will recognize and respond to. The ZCC heartily encourages YOU to write a letter to the Superintendent suggesting that increased restrictions on the use of Pine Creek and Spry would not be appropriate. Send your letter to:

      Superintendent Jock Whitworth
      Zion National Park
      Springdale UT 84767

It would also be a BIG help to send a copy of your letter to Zion's (and many of yours's) Congressman, Representative Jim Matheson:

      Representative Jim Matheson
      321 North Mall Dr., #E101B
      St. George, UT 84790

Here is my letter to the Superintendent:

September 2, 2009
Superintendent Jock Whitworth
Zion National Park

Dear Superintendent

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the suggested decrease in Pine Creek and Spry Canyon recreation opportunities associated with the considered changes to traffic patterns at Tunnel East.

The Zion Canyoneering Coalition supports actions that improve the safety and security for visitors and employees. We are certain that the Park will carefully evaluate whether closing the small Tunnel East parking lot will improve the chaotic traffic patterns in this difficult location. Loss of these parking spaces at this popular hiking and canyoneering spot would be unfortunate.

We object to the suggestion that lowering the Use Limits for Pine Creek, Spry and Lodge Canyons would be an appropriate use of this management tool. Canyoneers are the only visitors trying to park in this area that are required to get a permit, and this obligatory contact allows the Park to communicate to canyoneers to encourage car pooling, and gives the Park the opportunity to provide a map of legal parking places close to the east end of the tunnel. We believe that canyoneers should be allowed to compete for the available parking spaces on an equal footing with other visitors. We expect that the obligatory contact will produce a higher recreationist-to-vehicle-parking-space ratio than other visitors in this area, and thus make better use of the scarce resource.

With the upcoming re-paving of the east side, the Park has the opportunity to stabilize and delineate parking and stopping places on the east side corridor. Certainly, the level of use on the east side was not foreseen in 1929 when the original road was designed. Without significant development, we hope the Park will be able to formally recognize and line-out the maximum possible East Side parking places. Perhaps the "slow vehicle pullover" close to the tunnel could be converted into parking places, and a new "slow vehicle pullover" designated further to the east.

Again, we certainly support efforts to make this chaotic area safer, but do not see that placing further limitations on canyoneering visitors adds significantly to this effort.

Sincerely -

Tom Jones
Chairman
Zion Canyoneering Coalition

July 30, 2007
Zion National Park
Attn: Backcountry Management Plan/EA
Springdale, UT 84767

Dear Zion National Park planning team –

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the May 2007 Backcountry Plan / EA for Zion National Park, and thank you especially for extending the comment period.

The Zion Canyoneering Coalition is a group of canyoneers with a high interest in the management of the technical backcountry in Zion National Park. As such, our area of interest encompasses the canyoneering part of the backcountry, including The Narrows, The Subway and Orderville Canyon; and our comments should not be interpreted to include the on-trail, backpacking and climbing sections of the plan, about which we have no significant opinion.

We commend the Park for completing the draft Backcountry Management Plan in extremely difficult conditions. While NPS Regional resources were available for development of the General Management Plan, the planning process for the BC Management Plan fell on the already busy shoulders of Zion’s Backcountry staff. In addition, personnel changes and shortages made completion of this plan seemed unlikely in a timely basis...

READ the ZCC Comments on the Backcountry Plan, pdf format, 151 kb
READ the ZCC Proposal (Nov 2006), pdf format, 144 kb

5-3/4 hours left to comment. Here's the link for the on-line comment form.

I hope Brian BDC will forgive me for quoting his comments on another forum:

...However, my comments were short and to the point:

Eliminate the technical canyoneering day use permit.

Folks that are struggling to say something ought to just use the link above, fill out the info, and enter their thoughts. Hey, you can even cut and paste any or all of the below.

Cheers,
-Brian in SLC

The permit system should be eliminated. Popular trade canyons are a known entity and regulating their use is a waste of park resources. Limiting use in popular canyons pushes folks into more pristine areas. Permits for day use should be voluntary for safety and up to the individual

Current backcountry management is too strict, and is the greatest single impediment to a wilderness experience in the Park. The bureaucratic requirements of the permit system are not conducive to a "primitive and unconfined recreation", and should be eliminated to place less of a burden upon the backcountry visitor and the park service. Natural and cultural resources are being well protected with closures currently in place.

The Research Natural Areas designated in the park need to be reexamined. Goose Creek was a popular canyoneering venue and should be returned to the public in trade for a less popular drainage (such as Corral Hollow or some of the remote canyons near Wynopits). Spotted owls also exist in these other drainages and since visitor travel in Goose Creek is primarily in the creek bottom, the park visitor has little if any impact on these endangered owls.

Church Mesa does not fit the definition of an RNA (remote, difficult to access) and should be removed as such. There is an established game trail on the north side that goes to the summit, which can be easily accessed by human foot traffic. Access to Birch Creek, a seldom done but known canyoneering venue, is from the summit of Church Mesa and designation as an RNA would effectively eliminate Birch Creek as a destination. There are already designated several much more remote and difficult to access mesa tops which satisfy the need for an RNA.

Brian Cabe
Salt Lake City

Dear Zion Canyoneer –

Zion National Park released its draft Backcountry Management Plan on May 27, 2007 for public comment. Comments are being accepted through July 30, 2007 – so NOW would be a good time for you to comment on the plan.

The Zion Canyoneering Coalition (ZCC) finds the draft plan deeply troubling, both from a procedural point of view, from its apparent misuse of the scientific data collected in the VERP study, and the solutions offered to the claimed problems. Below, we list what we feel are the biggest problems with the draft plan. Please read these, study the plan and make your comments by July 30, 2007 to:

Zion National Park
Attn: Backcountry Management Plan/EA
Springdale, UT 84767

YOUR COMMENT LETTER

May I suggest your comment letter take the following form:

1. Greeting: “Dear Zion National Park planning team –“
2. “Thank you for allowing me to comment on the May 2007 Backcountry Plan / EA for Zion National Park”.
3. A one-paragraph statement about who you are, what you do and how you use the Park.
4. A clear, one-sentence summary of your position. Such as: “While I support the raising of Daily Use Limits in Alternative B, in general I think the plan has serious flaws that make it unacceptable. The Park has not offered an acceptable alternative.”
5. As many specific points from the plan that you object to, as clearly stated as possible. Please be specific, be polite, be helpful, and be direct.
6. Below are the points that I find most objectionable about the plan. It is probably better to pick out the few key matters that boil your blood, and emphasize those.
7. In the past, I have suggested that telling stories about how the permit system makes your trip to Zion extremely difficult was appropriate. I consider this story-oriented approach a lot less appropriate in this context.

But, the most important point is to DO IT, and get your letter in the mail, with a Monday, July 30th (or earlier Postmark).

Thanks – Tom Jones, Chairman, Zion Canyoneering Coalition

Read the full text of the letter request, including a synopsis of the PLAN, and suggested talking points.

Today, Zion National Park released a draft Backcountry Management Plan for public comment. Comments will be accepted through July 30, 2007. For more information on the draft plan, including a copy of the plan for download, and the VERP study results, CLICK HERE.

In a letter to Zion National Park, the Zion Canyoneering Coalition today released its proposal for the Management of the technical backcountry in Zion National Park.

"We believe that all Park goals can be met with a system that protects the resources, but imposes considerably fewer burdens on the backcountry visitor. Our plan will restore Wilderness values to the backcountry, something that has been lost by an overly restrictive permit and quota system in the last few years." said ZCC Chairman, Tom Jones. "We hope the Park management will at least consider our proposal as one of the alternatives in the upcoming release of the Draft Backcountry Management Plan."

Read the ZCC Proposal (PDF format, 120kb)

In the fall of 2005, the Park management placed a sign in Orderville Canyon prohibiting upstream travel above Veiled Falls. The ZCC believes this sign is itself anti-thetical to the Wilderness values it is placed to protect.

Read the Letter of Objection to the sign in Orderville.

We have scheduled our first weekend of trailwork in Zion National Park for the first weekend in November. Please join us (RSVP required). Work will be on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is reserved for play. The Park is providing sites at the Watchman Campground.

The weekend is being organized through Tom's Canyon Festivals. Please join that E Group to find more information and sign up. Sonny Lawrence has kindly stepped forward to lead this project - you may contact him at canyonear at gmail dot com.

Social trail erosion has been a big concern of canyoneers and the Backcountry staff at Zion National Park for several years. Recently, the ZCC sponsored Mark Hesse from the Rocky Mountain Field Institute of Colorado Springs to come out and evaluate the specific trail problems in Zion. On September 29th and 30th, Mark Hesse and Tom Jones met with Zion staff Ray O'Neil, Jill Woods and Denise Louie to evaluate several social trails often used by canyoneers. The results were quite encouraging. Read Tom's Report (pdf format, 65kb) for more details, or read Mark's more extensive evaluation (assuming you have high-speed) Mark's Report (pdf format, 2.9 Mb).

With 7 days remaining before the deadline for Scoping comments, the ZCC has created a nifty web form to help you generate your letter to Zion National Park. Just enter your name and address, answer the five questions the Park asked and you have a letter! Mail or e-mail it to the Park and you're done. Or take this basic letter and edit / add to it all you want. Whatever the case, just please be sure to send your comments to the Park before the deadline.

Letter Generator

Like many other national parks, Zion will be using the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) method to determine the carrying capacity for the backcountry. You may want learn more about VERP by reading the VERP Handbook (1.1 MB) so you can speak the "VERP language" in your comments.

The Zion Canyoneering Coalition urges all persons interested in the backcountry of Zion to submit scoping comments by the due date, October 7th. Once every twenty years, the Park takes a serious look at issues involved in managing the Park. The scoping process is the start of the Backcountry Management Plan development process, and a critical time for YOU to let the Park know what you think of how they have been running the place. The ZCC, as an organization, has submitted comments, but it is important that each individual also be heard. Whether you agree with our positions or not, we urge you to write a letter.

:: Writing YOUR Scoping Comments (Printable PDF Version, includes ZNP Scoping Form, 50kb)

:: Letter from Zion National Park announcing the start of the Scoping Process
:: Scoping Comment Form (from ZNP)
:: Scoping letter and comment form together - Word document - PDF document

:: ZCC Scoping Comments
:: Explanation of ZCC Scoping Comments

Salt Lake City - The Zion Canyoneering Coalition is delighted that the public part of the Backcountry Management planning process is moving forward, and we are happy to be able to provide input to the planning team. The ZCC is releasing official comments for the Scoping Phase of the Plan today on our website.

Scoping comments are available at ZCC Scoping Comments, and an explanation of some points is available as ZCC Scoping Comments Explanation. Members are encouraged to read the ZCC comments, discuss them with other Zion canyoneers, then write their own scoping comments, starting with a statment of support for the position of the ZCC.
 

The process has begun!! Zion National Park today released the first step in the public Backcountry Planning Process - the notice of scoping meetings and request for comments.

The Park will hold public meetings starting September 8th in Salt Lake City. The meetings are your chance to get your questions answered directly by Park staff.

We hope ZCC members will attend one or more of these sessions, however, what counts is sending in comments by the due date of October 7th

This is THE key opportunity to voice our concerns - please take full advantage.

What makes an organization legitimate? T-shirts, of course! Support the cause by buying and wearing a ZCC T-shirt.

The Park was kind enough to release to us data on the use of Zion's canyons over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, the software the Park has been using is fairly primitive, and day by day counts in particular canyons can only be compiled by hand. Still, the information is very interesting. Please visit the Research Page to view this data.
 

Acting Superintendent Eddie L. Lopez sent out a letter today to people who are interested in canyoneering in Zion National Park. If you sent a letter to the Park commenting on the proposed interim use limits, you probably received one these letters. The letter is the first official statement of backcountry management plans for 2003.

From our perspective, the most important point in the letter is the change to the 2003 interim use limits. The canyons in Pristine Zones (most of the backcountry) will be limited to 12 people per day (any number of groups), instead of 1 group per day (maximum of 12 people per group) as was originally proposed. We are pleased that the Park has adjusted the seriously restrictive limit original proposal.

Other items of note: Mystery canyon will have a reservation system like The Subway with six persons available to be reserved and the other six persons available from the backcountry desk as usual.

The letter also outlines the upcoming planning process for the Backcountry Management Plan, and informs us that news will be posted on the ZNP Website.

Read the January 8, 2003 letter from Zion National Park Acting Superintendent

While the Zion Canyoneering Coalition applauds the Park for finally issuing an official statement, and we are pleased with the changes made since the original proposal, we still object to the Interim Use Limits because they:

• are too restrictive in limiting the public's access to Zion's technical backcountry;
• are, in regard to solitude, clearly contradicted by the scientific research in this area; and
• will tend to push less experienced visitors into unfamiliar and difficult canyons, increasing physical impacts in the backcountry, and increasing risk for some visitors.

While preserving solitude in Zion's backcountry is an admirable goal, the Interim Use Limits are not informed by the reality of Zion's unique backcountry, ignore the voluminous scientific research on the subject, and were developed with little public input. The ZCC is preparing a more detailed response to the January 8th letter.

If you agree, here's what you can do:

Write a Letter - the ONLY thing that will change the Superintendent's mind is letters from individuals.

Joining the ZCC will join your voice with ours for negotiating for reasonable access with Zion National Park.

Planning at all our National Parks is governed by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Zion started developing a new General Management Plan (GMP) in 1996 to replace the previous GMP, from 1977. Be it highways, oil wells or national parks, NEPA requires the land manager to develop alternative plans, consider the long-term ramifications of its actions, and involve the public in the planning process...

Learn more about the General Management Plan and how the Planning Process Works.

One unique aspect of the Zion Backcountry is its technical nature. The Zion Backcountry breaks easily into two zones - "hiking areas" that are accessible via trails and foot travel without technical equipment; and "technical areas" that are accessible only by using ropes and other gear, and special canyoneering techniques. In no other National Park is there such a small proportion of hiking areas and a large proportion of technical areas. This creates a unique social condition - visitors utilizing the technical areas tend to be a separate and distinct body of users from the visitors utilizing the hiking areas. The visitors to the technical canyons are known as canyoneers...

Read the ZCC Position Paper on Canyoneering Management in Zion National Park.