East Zion Bike Trail Opens

A Part of the East Zion Initiative

This week, the Zion National Park Forever Project, the National Park Service, and the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation joined with a host of sponsors and supporters to take a significant step forward with the East Zion Initiative.

To learn more about the plans for Zion’s new Visitor Center and the conservation lead approach, visit zionpark.org/eastzion.

Thanks to our donors and supporters, the first 10 miles of new mountain bike trails are now officially open for public use. The land that these trails occupy was formerly slated for commercial developments. Through the generosity of landowners and with the securement of trail and conservation easements, the land is now home to accessible mountain bike trails for riders of all skill levels.

The ribbon-cutting also kicked off our fundraising efforts on the next 24.5 miles of trails, which we hope to complete throughout the 2022-2023 seasons. The East Zion Initiative is about far more than just trails.
The new East Zion Visitor Center will serve as the entrance to the last unprotected gateway to a National Park in the lower 48 states.

The new 7,000 square foot visitor center will serve to protect more than 6,000 acres from future incompatible development, ensuring that the gateways to our National Parks remain open and accessible. The Visitor Center will also become a travel hub for a new fleet of electric and advanced fueled vehicles transporting visitors from the east side into the park and beyond to other regional destinations.

Reducing vehicle emissions and congestion, along with educating visitors and reducing visitor impact on Zion’s main canyon, are top priorities for the park, and for Zion Forever. Thank you to all of our supporters who have donated and contributed to this effort. We can’t wait to provide updates as the projects progress.

Check out this article in the Salt Lake Tribune, who joined us at the groundbreaking.