Zion National Park temporarily closes cliff climbing routes because of nesting peregrine falcons
Mar 1, 2022, 2:17 PM
(Used by permission, James McGrew)
ZION NATIONAL PARK – Managers at Zion National Park closed off some climbing routes Tuesday because it marked the beginning of the nesting season for peregrine falcons.
The temporary closures are necessary because falcons are sensitive to disturbances during nesting season.
A news release from the park said any kind of disturbance could cause the adult falcons to abandon their nests until the next season.
National Park rangers monitor peregrines to determine when they return to nesting sites on the park’s cliffs.
The peregrine falcon was listed as an endangered species in 1970 under the Endangered Species Act. The news release said their decline was primarily due to DDT; an insecticide that caused the birds to produce thin-shelled eggs. As a result, the eggs broke easily, killing the developing embryo inside.
Captive breeding programs and a ban on DDT in 1972 were so effective that the falcons were removed from the endangered species list in 1999.
The release said reopening the cliffs to climbers varies from year to year and typically ranges from late spring to summer.
Get the latest updates on those closures here.
Closures are underway at some areas of the cliffs listed below. All other cliffs are still open.
- Angels Landing
- Cable Mountain
- The Great White Throne
- Isaac (in Court of the Patriarchs)
- The Sentinel
- Mountain of the Sun
- North Twin Brother
- Tunnel Wall
- The East Temple
- Mount Spry
- The Streaked Wall
- Mount Kinesava
The 2022 Guide to Zion National Park’s Seasonal Raptor Closures includes maps of boundaries affected by cliff closures.
The news release said climbers are responsible for checking the maps.