This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A rock fall early Wednesday closed the popular Mount Carmel Highway in southern Utah's Zion National Park, and may keep it closed into the weekend.
Park spokeswoman Jin Prugsawan said that large boulders tumbled onto the road, also known as State Route 9, near Pine Creek Bridge and between Canyon Junction and the park's east entrance sometime overnight, blocking both lanes.
No vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.
The road is expected to remain closed into the weekend, Prugsawan said.
But the Scenic Drive and Zion Canyon remain open, and all park facilities including the visitor centers, museum, and campgrounds are open and operating as normal.
The largest boulder is estimated to be 200 tons, measuring 19 feet high by 20 feet long by 15 feet wide. The second boulder is 100 tons, measuring 10 feet high by 10 feet long by 15 feet wide.
Road crews used a hoe ram to break up the boulders, but the road has not yet been cleared, Prugsawan reported at Wednesday afternoon.
Zion road crews, Utah Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration engineers will be assessing a section of cliff face above the rock fall for immediate hazards, Prugsawan said, adding that additional rock may need to be removed from the cliff face before the road can be reopened.
Alternate east and west routes are available via Highway 59 from Hurricane south to Fredonia, Ariz., and Highway 14 from Cedar City to Long Valley Junction and Highway 89. Those traveling to the park also may drive east on State Route 9 from Interstate 15.
This particular section of the road has seen rock fall periodically in the last 20 years, Prugsawan noted.
Twitter: @remims