State Parks COVID-19 Guidelines

 

With COVID-19 grinding the world as we knew it to a halt earlier this year, uncertainty became the new norm when talking about what is open, what is closed, and what we could and couldn’t do and believe it or not, hiking and state parks have been affected too. The mass shut down of gyms, bars, and movie theaters, people started looking to the outdoors as a way to avoid people while still doing anything besides sitting at home.

While experiencing the outdoors is awesome, the massive surge of new people hiking our state parks forced them to write new rules and regulations to help curb some of the unfortunate side effects of heavily increased foot traffic. As of writing this post, the information given here will be as accurate as can be but due to the nature of how things are opening and closing, be sure to click or call your destination choice to double-check availability.  

Nevada

Nevada State Parks, which include Valley of Fire and Cave Lake, have enacted what they call “Responsible Recreation” which is just another way of saying follow standard COVID-19 guidelines in all parks. The “Responsible Recreation” points of interest include:

• Trying to enjoy parks that are close to home to prevent overcrowding
• Social distance and separate as often as you can and wear masks when social distancing isn’t an option
• Wearing masks while indoors like in the visitors center or gift shops
• Avoiding crowded parks and trailheads
• And as always, practice Leave No Trace hiking

Nevada will extend all annual permits issued from March 2019 to May 2020 by 3 months from the expiration date so don’t worry if you’re afraid of not being able to use your pass to the fullest.

All parks, as of writing this, are open for day use with some parks having time restrictions but all parks subject to temporary closings due to reaching max capacity. Bathrooms are still open at the parks but it is recommended that you bring hand sanitizer of your own just in case the bathrooms run out.

Fishing and hiking are still allowed at all trails where it is allowed during normal hours of operation. If you have a specific location you want to check in on, be sure to contact the visitors center for day-specific information. 

The only portion of a park that is still closed is the parking lot of Memorial Point at Tahoe Nevada State Park and it will remain close until further notice.

Utah

Utah State Parks, which include Sand Hollow State Park and Utah Lake State Park, are following the same “Responsible Recreation” guidelines that Nevada has in place and just in case you missed it above, here are the main points:

• Trying to enjoy parks that are close to home to prevent overcrowding
• Social distance and separate as often as you can and wear masks when social distancing isn’t an option
• Wearing masks while indoors like in the visitors center or gift shops
• Avoiding crowded parks and trailheads
• And as always, practice Leave No Trace hiking

According to the Utah State Parks website, all parks are open for visitors to enjoy with only Goblin Valley State Park experiencing reduced visitor center hours. There isn’t a whole lot of information about fishing and boating on the state website so be sure to call ahead of any trip to make sure you can still participate in these activities. 

For more information as well as up-to-date rules and regulations for the parks that may change over time, be sure to visit Nevada State Parks and Utah State Parks website.