Zion Park phasing out free passes for locals

HURRICANE, Washington County — Zion National Park increased its entrance fees this year and is phasing out a policy that allowed residents of nearby Hurricane and Kanab to pass through the park for free — a change that is causing considerable local uproar.

Residents of the two towns who previously held a residential pass can still get a local sticker on their vehicle, which allows the driver to pass through the park without paying a fee. Longtime residents who never held the pass or those new to the area will not be issued a free pass, said Shelagh Forester, Zion National Park's supervisor of fee operations. The park will phase out the local stickers for Hurricane and Kanab residents by the year 2011.

"These passes were given as a courtesy to local residents who just wanted to drive through the park (on their way to somewhere else)," Forester said. "We will not be issuing any new ones to residents of Hurricane and Kanab."

Hurricane Mayor Tom Hirschi said the park's decision to charge local residents to pass through the park is ridiculous.

"I've got such a bad taste in my mouth about the park. I've been going around it for a while now," he said. "I've heard from quite a few folks who don't like it (the new fee structure) one bit. I just quit going through the park."

Residents of Springdale, the park's gateway town, and those living in Rockville, Virgin, Toquerville, LaVerkin, Mount Carmel, Orderville and Glendale are still allowed free access through the park.

The new fee schedule was implemented on Jan. 1, after park officials held two public hearings on the subject in 2006. Private vehicles now are charged $25, an increase of $5, while the individual fee for pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists increased from $10 to $12.

A yearly pass is now $50, up from $40, and a new interagency recreation pass is selling for $80. Entry fees pay for maintenance, improving visitor facilities and services, said Zion National Park Superintendent Jock Whitworth.

"The road through the park is a federal highway, built by the federal government and the park service," Whitworth said. "It is not a thoroughfare. The national parks are not required to allow these pass throughs. We aren't making people go around the park. They can either choose to pay the fee or go around the park."