As of Saturday, March 28, 2020, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park is closed to all public access until further notice. This is being done in response to guidance from Southeast Utah Public Health, San Juan Public Health, and Moab Regional Hospital.
All vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians are prohibited from entering any park areas, including the campground, trails, backcountry areas, and roads. Park rangers may issue citations to persons violating this closure under the authority of 36 CFR 1.5(f).
Arches Visitor Center, Island in the Sky Visitor Center, The Needles Visitor Center, and Hans Flat Ranger Station, and the park stores operated by Canyonlands Natural History Association are also closed.
Visitors with camping or Fiery Furnace tour reservations impacted by this closure may cancel or reschedule online at http://www.Recreation.gov, or by calling (877) 444-6777.
The NPS encourages people to take advantage of the many digital tools already available to explore these parks, including:
- Watching park videos and other short films
- Wandering through Arches’ wildflowers gallery
- Perusing the albums of photos on parks’ websites and Flickr accounts,
- Revisiting their own photo albums from past visits, sharing treasured memories with family and friends.
Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are focused on ensuring employees, their families, volunteers, and visitors are safe by following the most current guidance from the CDC, OPM, OEM, and other federal, state, and local health authorities.
National Park Service Public Health Service Officers Recommend that Everyone Should Take the Following Routine Precautions:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use >60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, or do so into your elbow. Dispose of the tissue and wash your hands again.
- Indoors and outdoors, keep 6 feet (2m) of separation between yourself and others to reduce the potential spread of infection.
- Use virtual tools instead of holding in-person meetings.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Most important, if you experience flu symptoms or any serious infection or virus, please stay home to avoid exposing others.
Follow this web page for the latest public health updates from the National Park Service:
https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/public-health-update.htm
Released from nps.gov on March 27, 2020
outdoors@suunews.net
Photos by: Reyce Knutson
