Opening of Cedar Breaks National Monument is delayed

CEDAR CITY — Winter is maintaining its tight grip on the high country of southern Utah, meaning the traditional Memorial Day weekend opening day of Cedar Breaks National Monument will be delayed by at least one week.

The snow level this year, although half of what it was during the unusually big snow year of 2005, is double what it normally is at this time of the year.

Efforts to open the Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive, also known as Highway 148, are under way, but snow drifts of 4 to 8 feet hamper the progress.

"Extensive work remains to widen the road to allow for two-way traffic and to open the visitor center parking lot and scenic overlooks," said Park Superintendent Paul Roelandt. "Although opening for the Memorial Day weekend is very important to us, visitor safety is even more important. At this point, we do not anticipate opening the road until at least June 5, or until the ice and snow thaw enough for safe passage."

The Cedar Breaks visitor center will open for the season after the road through the park reopens.

For more information, go to www.nps.gov/cebr.

— Lynn Arave