SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's 13 National Park Service sites, including the Mighty 5, experienced a 9% decline in visitors from 2024 to 2025, totaling 1.5 million fewer people.
While Zion and Arches national parks saw slight upticks in visitors, every other site saw a decline. The decline impacts jobs and local economies in towns like Panguitch for Bryce Canyon, Parowan and Brian Head for Cedar Breaks, Torrey for Capitol Reef, Monticello and Blanding for Natural Bridges, Corinne for Golden Spike, and Vernal for Dinosaur National Monument.
The 13 sites extend from Golden Spike Historical Park in the northwest to Hovenweep National Monument in the southeast.
Among the Mighty 5, Bryce Canyon saw the largest drop with more than 20 percent fewer visitors. Garfield County residents depend on Bryce Canyon visitors for a good chunk of their economy. The county estimates 40% of its visitors are international tourists, a demographic that saw a nationwide decline last year.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area most often visited by boaters at Lake Powell, is the biggest outlier. The site saw almost a million fewer visitors year-to-year. If Glen Canyon is removed from the data, Utah's overall park visitation decline drops to 4%, or about 600,000 fewer visitors.
Most of the decline at Glen Canyon is felt in Arizona, which serves as the launch point for about six visitors for every one person getting on the lake in Utah. In Utah, the Bullfrog Marina saw a 12% increase in use, while Halls Crossing saw an 81% drop.
The Charles Hall Ferry, which connects Bullfrog to Halls Crossing, cannot operate due to low water levels. Without the ferry, Halls Crossing only gets a trickle of traffic in a good year.
Lake levels are so low that only Bullfrog's auxiliary ramp reaches the water to allow motorized boat access. I could get my canoe on the lake using the spur extending their main ramp, but that is the limit.
Other ramps are completely inaccessible. The ramp at Hite has been high and dry for years, and the Halls Crossing ramp ended 28 vertical feet from the water line as measured on March 18.
