A report on camping trends and visitor use management planning for the West Zion Corridor

The western canyon corridor leading up to Zion National Park (ZNP) has experienced significant increases in visitation and use over the last many years. A result of that is the rise in both legal and illegal camping which is causing potential degradation to land conditions throughout the region. Camping, an activity that is is inextricably connected to national park visitation, is limited inside ZNP, and the demand for camping within a reasonable driving distance to the entrance of the park is not abating (KOA, 2018). Proper planning directed toward camping and visitor use management strategies should be prioritized and processes approved and vetted by the public should be put in place to ensure current conditions do not deteriorate to unacceptable levels and future desired conditions in this region are preserved.