Zion Lodge/National Park Service

A company better known in ski circles than in the National Park System has won the 10-year contract to operate the Zion Lodge, pushing out a concessionaire that had operated the lodge for 52 years and has long operated in a number of national parks.

POWDR Corp., a Park City, Utah-based company that operates nine ski resorts, beat out Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Inc., for the contract that starts on January 1, 2025. A subsidiary of POWDR, Destination Zion Lodge, LLC, will handle the operation.

The Zion Lodge concession contract, which covers 76 hotel rooms, six suites, and 40 historic cabins, provides a significant portion of the services visitors seek at the park and is critical to providing a positive visitor experience, said a release from Zion National Park announcing the new concessionaire. The new contract was awarded through a competitive selection process, it added.

Xanterra has held the contract since 1972. Xanterra, which holds concessions in or near Glacier, Death Valley,  Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, will continue to operate concessions facilities at Zion Lodge until the next contract begins January 2025. The transition is not expected to affect visitors.