Superintendent Jock Whitworth said that since 2003, the park eliminated several top assistant management positions, usually by not filling vacancies when they occurred, as budgets failed to keep pace with inflation.

This year, "Congress did provide funding for 21 extra seasonal positions, mostly in interpretation and maintenance."

That boost and other budget improvements will allow the park this summer to extend visitor center and museum hours, add some ranger-led hikes and an additional narrated shuttle tour.

Zion is Utah's most-visited national park, with nearly 2.7 million recreational visitors last year. Because the park keeps about 75 percent of the entrance fees it collects, Whitworth said such money has helped fund several deferred maintenance projects, including rehabilitation of an old nature center.

Since 2003, as budgets have not kept up with inflation, Whitworth said, "We are doing OK. We could definitely use some more personnel. But we are surviving and doing good things."

Bryce Canyon

Superintendent Eddie Lopez said trails are in better shape, roads are smoother, the park has more seasonal interpreters this year and higher-paid permanent employees have been freed up from cleaning restrooms.

"We were far behind, but we can see some light now," he said when comparing 2003 to now.

He said Bryce also uses money from park entrance fees for trail and facility maintenance projects that were deferred because of a lack of federal funding.

Bryce has contracted since 2001 with Lewis Stages to provide a shuttle bus service, a program that began running in the black two years ago.

Lopez adds that Bryce benefits from its proximity to Zion and its smaller size and pace.

"Once you drop down into that canyon, it's very intimate," Lopez said. "It's very unique with the hoodoos. It's a fascinating resource."

Lake Powell

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument are managed jointly as if they were one large park. Area spokesman Kevin Schneider said services have not changed much over the past five years, and visitors would see about the same level of services as in 2003.

"But we're a little different category than most areas. Most of our visitor services are provided by concessionaires, and concessions generate a lot of revenue for us to spend on projects around the park," he said. It has helped improve some facilities for boaters and fishermen and fund some road projects.

Schneider said, however, that revenues have been down because visitation was down in recent years as the level of Lake Powell hit record-low levels during a drought. Visitation rebounded last year as lake levels rose.