ST. GEORGE — Preserving Bryce Canyon National Park’s resources as visitation continues to climb is the tightrope park officials are walking.

Finding that balance can be difficult as visitation increases, said Kelly Wood, an outdoor recreational planner for Bryce Canyon National Park.

“My role as the visitor management park planner is trying to understand our current visitors but also think to the future about ways that we can plan for the management and design projects that will continue to support high-quality visitor experiences, hopefully for a long, long time,” she told St. George News.

The park’s personnel are gathering visitation data to better understand visitor patterns and manage expectations, Wood said. The goal is to sustain Bryce Canyon National Park for future generations.

“Bryce Canyon and other national parks in Utah are incredibly popular, which is exciting,” she said. “These are special places, and it’s wonderful that there’s such interest among people in the U.S. and people from all over the world. Our visitation has increased considerably this past year in 2023.”

Wood said the park has recently experienced a significant increase in visitation, going from 1,464,655 in 2020 to 2,461,269 in 2023. Bryce Canyon National Park saw a significant increase over 10 years ago when the park averaged about one million visitors yearly.

The park measures visitation data using various methods, including vehicle counters at the park’s entrance.

“We’re keeping track of how many cars come into the park each day,” Wood said. “We also have counters on our trail system, where we’re counting how many people per hour are on different segments of our trails here in the park.”

Additionally, Bryce Canyon National Park uses qualitative data such as visitor surveys, many of which have been conducted over the last few decades, Wood said.

The information gleaned from the surveys helps the National Park Service understand visitors’ expectations and experiences in the park.

“It’s a lot of work to understand these patterns related to our visitation,” Wood said. “And I feel fortunate that Bryce Canyon has worked closely with universities to acquire some of these devices to count cars and count people and have been building this system of data collection over many years.”

Wood said that managing visitor expectations is crucial. The park uses various communication channels to inform visitors about parking availability and busy times, such as social media, news releases and its website.

“The park puts a lot of effort into helping prospective visitors who are planning a trip to Bryce Canyon understand what to expect,” she said.

For instance, it’s harder to find a parking spot between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. than earlier or later in the day. Additionally, Memorial Day weekend is one of the park’s busiest times.

Wood said visitor expectations have evolved, and many now understand that the park could be congested. Visitors can choose whether to visit during that time or when it is less busy.

“One of the things I love about Bryce Canyon is that even on busy holiday and summer weekends, it’s possible to find quiet places in this park,” she said. “If you’re willing to hike lesser-used trails or get out in the backcountry, there are still opportunities to find quiet and natural sounds and places to enjoy the park on your own.”

The park partners with Bryce Canyon City, Ruby’s Inn, Garfield County officials, the county Office of Tourism and other nearby towns.

“We have wonderful relationships with our partners in the surrounding area and they are critically important for helping get the word out,” Wood said.

Another challenge facing the 100-year-old national park is its aging infrastructure. At Bryce Canyon National Park, some critical systems are reaching the end of their life span.

“This park is undertaking a big project to replace the park’s water system,” Wood said. “It’s not a visible visitor use management challenge, but it’s really integral to being able to welcome as many visitors as we do here in the park.”

While infrastructure isn’t the most glamorous or visible aspect of a national park, it’s essential to offering visitors a safe and accessible experience, Peter Densmore, a spokesman for Bryce Canyon National Park, told St. George News in an email.

“Bryce Canyon is celebrating 100 years since it was first protected as a national monument and while that’s not a lot of time compared to the age of the geology here, it’s a pretty long time for things like buildings and public utilities,” he said. “Maintaining that infrastructure is a key responsibility of the National Park Service. Thanks to the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund established by the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, the National Park Service has been provided with up to 6.5 billion dollars to address extensive and long overdue maintenance needs in national parks.”

Densmore added that the Legacy Restoration Fund will restore and replace critical and outdated components of the park’s water system. The goal is to improve fire protection through improved water pressure and flow rates and increase the security and dependability of water supplies for visitors and staff.

Wood said the Bryce Canyon Shuttle helps to preserve land, clear night skies and cultural resources. The shuttle has been running for more than 20 years and allows park visitors to get around to the different viewpoints without moving their cars.

The shuttle helps them avoid building additional parking lots. It is free to ride around the park, Wood said.

“The shuttle is a tool that helps us to accommodate visitors that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to,” Wood said.

One area park officials are considering improving is Bryce Point, one of the viewpoints serviced by the park shuttle. Wood said due to its topography, it has a small parking lot. The lot often fills during summer and is sometimes temporarily restricted to private cars. However, access is still available on the shuttle and by hiking from other viewpoints or the amphitheater.

“You’re way up high and have expansive views looking over the amphitheater,” she said. “The hoodoos are mesmerizing from up there, but you can also look out over the Paria River Valley. It’s really a stunning place to visit.”

Wood said she is also concerned because there is no restroom there. As a park planner, she spends a lot of time thinking about restroom infrastructure in the park.

Another tool Bryce Canyon uses to manage visitors is the Shared Use Bike Path, which runs from Red Canyon on the Dixie National Forest through Bryce Canyon City and into the park.

Wood said the path allows bike riders to visit the park without occupying a parking space. She said the park has added more bike racks in key locations, and the Bryce Canyon Lodge company has started renting e-bikes. Visitors are reminded that going uphill at the canyon’s 8,000-foot elevation can be challenging.

“That shared use path to me highlights our relationship with partners — with the Forest Service outside the park, with the county, with the local communities — because that path crosses many different jurisdictions over the 22 miles between the ends,” she said.

The bike path to ride into the park can be accessed in Bryce Canyon City at the big parking lot by the park shuttle. Bicycle rentals are available there. Wood also confirmed that the park plans to build two more miles of bike trail to Bryce Point. She said this could help alleviate the busy summer congestion.

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