Zion National Park adds fire restrictions ahead of Memorial Day weekend

Zion National Park shut down most campfires, open fires and fireworks just as Memorial Day weekend crowds started rolling in, putting Stage 2 fire restrictions in place across all lands within the park at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 22, 2026. The new rules will stay in effect until the superintendent rescinds them, and park officials said they are meant to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires.

For travelers headed to Zion Canyon, the practical changes are immediate. Campfires and open fires are now prohibited in most areas, including Watchman Campground, South Campground and Zion Canyon picnic areas. Smoking is limited to enclosed vehicles, developed recreation sites or places clear of vegetation. Fireworks are banned, and the park said they are always prohibited on federal public lands. Violations can bring a fine of up to $5,000 and as much as six months in jail.

There is still one narrow exception for campers who planned around a fire ring: Lava Point Campground remains one of the few places in Zion where fires are allowed, and only in established fire rings. Propane or liquid-fueled camp stoves are still permitted, which makes them the safer backup for anyone spending the night in the park or rolling in with a van kitchen plan that depends on a flame after dark.

Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said, “Dry conditions are increasing across the region,” and urged visitors to help protect the park, nearby communities and firefighters. Zion’s warning comes alongside broader fire prevention efforts in southwest Utah and northern Arizona, where the Bureau of Land Management had Stage 1 restrictions in place on BLM-managed lands in Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties, including Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The BLM says those restrictions are designed to prevent losses from human-caused wildfires during extreme drought, high fire danger and heavy public-land use.

The timing is especially rough for holiday traffic. Zion’s Memorial Day planning release says visitors should expect heavy traffic, limited parking, shuttle bus lines and long waits as the park moves into its busiest summer stretch. Summer daytime temperatures in Zion can exceed 100 degrees, and the park is already one of the few national park areas to top 5 million annual visits, which means these fire rules are landing on top of a packed travel weekend.

If you are headed to Zion, the checklist is simple: know which land you are on, check the current fire rules before you leave, pack for stove-only cooking, and do not count on a campfire for the evening. In a dry year, the end of the day in Zion now looks a lot less like a fire ring and a lot more like a strict line between what is still allowed and what has already been shut down.