Park archaeologists will be laser scanning this monument early next month, which will slow traffic entering the park through its South Entrance/NPS

Lanes entering Zion National Park’s South Entrance will be closed for 15-minute intervals between 7 and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, April 4-5, to prepare for moving the South Entrance monument in order to accommodate more entrance lanes going forward.

During those windows, park archaeologists will be 3-D laser scanning the monument.

Laser scanning is a fairly new technology to the park. Last year, Zion archaeologists scanned the inside of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway Tunnel as part of a restoration project. The data can be used to assess current resource conditions, create detailed 3-D models, and potentially help park maintenance repair historic resources with exacting precision.

Archaeologists are currently embarking on a project to laser scan the park’s most prominent trails, bridges, buildings, campgrounds, and cultural sites. There will be similar trail and road closures throughout the year as the crews scan additional areas.