Zion National Park Discovery Center

The Zion National Park Discovery Center is an official National Park visitor center, managed through a multi-partner agreement between Zion Forever Project, as the park´s official nonprofit partner and Zion Special Services District. The project is part of the larger Parable Master Plan East of Zion National Park The project is in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Highway 9 and North Fork Road, approximately 2 miles from the eastern border of Zion National Park. With the location of the planned Visitor Center and UDOT improvements, the intersection of Highway 9 and North Fork Road will effectively become the border threshold into Zion National Park.

Zion National Park has long desired to better orient and educate the significant numbers that arrive to Zion Park from its east entrance, more than 1 million annually in recent years. The Parable protection of the land through conservation easements and compatible developments is a critical issue for Zion National Park. The Discovery Center aligns with the park’s general management plan and will help mitigate the impacts of over-crowding in Zion’s main canyon by extending the visitor experience beyond the traditional boundaries of the park. 
The Discovery Center will provide office space to Zion Forever Project, Kane County, and include the following public amenities: onsite parking, visitor center and gift shop, EV shuttle stop, integrated water reclamation wetland, agricultural orchards, educational programming, event space, and a farm-to-table restaurant.

Zion Forever Project, as the non-profit partner of Zion National Park, is working with private landowners, Kane County officials, and Utah Department of Transportation to establish a Visitor Contact Facility at the East Gateway area of Zion Park. This facility is ideally positioned to support the trail network with necessary infrastructure and education of the park trails and surrounding public land opportunities for quality outdoor experiences.