SPRINGDALE, Utah — The first Martin Luther King Jr. day without free admission at Zion National Park in 28 years saw unusually low attendance.
President Donald Trump's White House removed the holiday from its list of fee-free admission days, leaving visitors to pay standard entrance fees or turn away disappointed.
Ben Delbert and his friend from St. George used their day off to visit the nearby national park, but turned around at the gate after learning they would need to pay for admission.
"Yeah, for free, that's exactly what we were trying to do," Delbert said.
Since 1998, Martin Luther King Jr. Day had been on the list of fee-free days for national parks. Late last year, the White House made changes that removed King's birthday and Juneteenth from the free admission days.
Three free days were added: Theodore Roosevelt's birthday, Constitution Day and a combination of Flag Day and President Trump's birthday that both fall on June 14.
The parking lot at Zion remained mostly empty throughout the holiday. Koko Weems of Salt Lake City, who visits at least six times a year, said she had never seen the park so quiet.
"Even during the government shutdown, it wasn't this slow," Weems said. "That's the least people I've seen here since the 1980s."
Other visitors expressed similar surprise at the low turnout.
"I'm surprised there's hardly no one here," said Melinda Wilson, visiting from Navajo Nation, Arizona.
Jessica Limpasert, visiting from Las Vegas, said it was "surprisingly emptier" than expected for a holiday.
Standing at the pedestrian entrance to the park, we counted around eight people entering within 15 minutes. That contrasts sharply with the crowds seen in early December.
Noticeably absent was the usual influx of foreign visitors on a weekday. Among a dozen visitors we spoke with, only two were from outside the country. It now costs an additional $100 on top of other fees for non-U.S. residents to enter the park.
However, there appeared to be a loophole that allowed some visitors to enter for free.
The pedestrian entrance to the park had no staff checking for admission, while the vehicle gate was properly staffed.
"There's no one at the booth. They're there where the cars have to drive through, so they're obviously taking passes there," Weems said.
Park officials did not respond to requests for comment about why the pedestrian entrance was unstaffed while the vehicle gate had rangers checking for admission.
Those who did get in — whether by paying $35, $135 or nothing — were treated to a rare day where they mostly had the park to themselves.
"We had a free day, no work, and we just wanted to be in the open space and see the land," said Mike Ortiz, visiting from St. George.
Local businesses also felt the impact of reduced visitor numbers. While no business owners would speak on camera, they confirmed seeing fewer people than usual for the January holiday. Tables at the Zion Brewery that were full last month sat empty.
Back at the vehicle gate, Delbert was leaving disappointed after being told about the fee.
"Yeah, we're locals. That's what hurts the most is we're local," Delbert said.
Multiple other visitors were observed turning around after learning about the admission fee at the gate.
