This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Heavy rain temporarily closed all roads leading to and surrounding Zion National Park on Wednesday.
Park officials say the "extreme weather," which included a flash-flood warning for parts of Garfield County, Kane County and Washington County, caused a noticeable rise in the Virgin River, which runs through the park and the popular Narrows slot canyon hiking trail.
Shuttles were running again by 5 p.m. and the southern entrance was open, but the eastern gate will remain closed until Thursday morning as a precaution, according to a tweet from the park.
The flash-flood warning was lifted about 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service's site.
Additionally, a house-size boulder was blocking both sides of Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (State Route 9); the road is closed between Canyon Junction and the east entrance until "deemed safe," according to a news release. Park officials advise visitors looking to travel on east-to-west routes in the park to use Highway 59 from Hurricane, Highway 14 from Cedar City or Highway 89.
No park facilities, such as museums, campgrounds or visitors centers, are affected by the closures.
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