In Case You Missed It: Oversized RVs Are Banned from Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway Starting Mid-2026

New Rules for RVs in Zion National Park

Starting in mid-2026, Zion National Park will stop letting big RVs  drive on the historic Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway and its famous tunnel. 

The ban targets vehicles that are too tall, wide, or long to protect both visitors and the roads. Here’s what you need to know.

RV Size Restrictions on Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway

You can’t drive on this road if your vehicle is taller than 11 feet 4 inches, wider than 7 feet 10 inches, longer than 35 feet 9 inches, or weighs more than 50,000 pounds. 

These rules mean most Class A motorhomes and big fifth-wheel trailers (usually 33 to 45 feet long) can’t pass through Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

Historic 1930s Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway in Zion wasn’t designed for modern large vehicles

The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway was a great piece of engineering for the 1920s, but it wasn’t made for today’s huge vehicles. 

Workers built this road when people drove small Model A Fords and fewer tourists visited the park. For comparison, the 1930s Ford Model A was about 12 feet long, but today’s RVs can be three times that size, making it really hard to drive safely on this old road.

On top of that, visitor numbers have ballooned as well, from only 55,297 people per year to 4.6 million annual visitors today. All of which puts considerable strain on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

Prevents dangerous lane-crossing on tight turns

Engineers found 18 dangerous spots on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway where big vehicles have to drive into the wrong lane. 

If your vehicle is longer than 35 feet 9 inches, you can’t make the turns without going into oncoming traffic. 

The narrow roads, blind curves, and steep hills make it really hard for big vehicles to stay in their lane. 

These conditions make head-on crashes more likely, especially at hairpin turns. The new size limits will keep out the vehicles that most often cross into the wrong lane.

Cuts Down on Tunnel Escorts That Rangers Do 50+ Times Every Day

Right now, park rangers have to help more than 50 big vehicles through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel every day. 

Rangers must stand at both ends of the tunnel and stop traffic going one way so big vehicles can drive down the middle of the 1.1-mile tunnel. 

These escorts, which run from 8am to 8pm, make people wait up to 20 minutes and cause traffic jams at both entrances. 

Even though people pay $15 for each escort, the system takes up a lot of rangers’ time that they could spend doing other important work.

Smaller RVs still allowed

As long as your vehicle, including RVs, doesn’t hit the size restrictions, you can drive on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.

This covers travel trailers under 27 feet, Class B campervans, pop-up campers, and teardrop trailers, all of which work great for exploring Zion. 

Parking for Big RVs and Shuttles Available at the Visitor Center

Even though you can’t drive big RVs on certain roads anymore, you can still see everything in the park. 

You can park your big RV at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, but try to get there early. The parking lots usually fill up by mid-morning. You don’t have to drive inside the park at all. 

The free shuttle buses run all day, and you usually only wait about 15 minutes for one. 

You can also park in nearby Springdale, including paid lots on Lion Boulevard, and catch a shuttle there. This means you can see all of Zion’s amazing sights no matter what size vehicle you bring.