So is Springdale.

Here’s the official text from the National Park Service about Zion.

The NPS anticipates: 

• Long lines at entrance stations, visitor centers, restrooms, and at trailheads. 
• Lengthy waits to board park shuttles in Springdale and Zion National Park. 
• Intermittent, temporary closures at the park’s east and south vehicle entrance stations. 
• Heavy traffic in Springdale and throughout the park. 

I NEVER buy anything in Springdale. It’s the land of the $10 bag of potato chips. Actually, I don’t know that for certain. I never buy anything in Springdale. But I do pass the two gas stations in town and their prices are … oh … at least half a buck higher than the gas stations in La Verkin.

On a busy weekend, I have seen traffic line up from the Park entrance all the way through downtown. We simply stay away from State Road 9. You have to have a reservation for popular trails now. There is a “free” bus service. I’ve seen crowds of more than a hundred people gathered around a bus stop.

I live in Springdale, the gateway community at the entrance to Zion National Park. I decided I wanted to live here when  I was still a teenager. You can read about those days at my prize winning essays, Zion Lodge Stories.

But that was then and this is now. And, I gotta tell ya – “now” ain’t pretty.