State Route 9 (Utah)
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State Route 9 (Utah)
Scenic State Route 9 (Utah), starts at the western terminus at exit 16 on Interstate 15. It runs through Zion National Park, ending at the eastern junction with U.S. Route 89. The highway is 54 miles long. There is a fee to travel through Zion National Park, but the highway is open to private vehicles year-round. A separate fee is required for vehicles 7'10" wide and/or 11'4" tall or larger. This fee pays for a ranger to stop traffic from the other side of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel to allow the larger vehicles to pass through. There is a smaller tunnel in Zion National Park that does not require an escort.
[edit] St. George to Zion National Park
Leave Interstate 15 via Exit 16, just north of St. George to begin travel on State Route 9. The road travels through Hurricane and LaVerkin before heading uphill and eventually going through the small towns of Virgin, Rockville and Springdale.
[edit] Zion National Park to Mt. Carmel Junction
The historic and exceptionally scenic section of State Route 9 (Utah) twists and turns along 14 incredible miles through Zion National Park to Mount Carmel Junction. This section of the road is called the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. The Nevada Construction Co. completed the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel after three years of construction. The cost was a whopping (for that time) $1,896,000. The highway begins on the south side of Zion National Park following along the Virgin River. The road then turns at the junction of Pine Creek and the Virgin River and continues up Pine Creek Canyon, up the Switchbacks and into the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. On the east side of the tunnel the highway continues through impressive scenery, past the Canyon Overlook Trailhead, the East Rim Trailhead and the unique Zion landmark, Checkerboard Mesa. Finally the road exits the park through the east entrance and 12 miles later ends at the junction of State Route 9 and U.S. Route 89 in Mount Carmel Junction.
