Zion National Park to reduce size of trail head parking lot

SPRINGDALE, Utah - Zion National Park is making one of its parking lots smaller to discourage overcrowding.

Park Superintendent Jock Whitworth said workers will use fences to reduce the size of a trail head parking lot for the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek.

Taylor Creek runs through the park's Kolob Canyons section.

It's the same area where park officials are restoring two historic cabins. The log cabins, built 80 years ago by homesteaders who grazed sheep and goats, need some new logs and roof shingles.

Park Archeologist Dan Rhode said crews have to restore the cabins by hand in the designated wilderness area - he said it took 10 people just to move one of the logs. The crews are cutting fresh logs with crosscut saws. They are not allowed to use power tools .