Cedar Breaks National Monument Waives Entrance Fees, Offers Special Hikes for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 30, 2006

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. Winter is fast approaching in the high country east of Cedar City. The aspens are turning, the temperature is dropping, and Cedar Breaks National Monument has received its first dusting of snow for the season. Visitors still have a chance to enjoy the park as the season draws to a close, as the National Park Service hosts National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 30, 2006 by waiving entrance fees and offering two guided hikes on the Spectra Point Trail, in addition to regularly scheduled geology talks from the Point Supreme Overlook.

“On National Public Lands Day, the National Park Service joins other Department of the Interior bureaus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, and Utah State Parks in inviting the public to get out and enjoy the public lands in their local area,” said Cedar Breaks Superintendent Paul Roelandt. The usual $4.00 per person entrance fee, including commercial tour entrance fees, will be waived on that day.

The park will offer two guided hikes along the Spectra Point Trail on Saturday. The first will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be led by Cedar Breaks Ranger Ann Lundberg, who will interpret some of the park’s natural and cultural history along the way to Spectra Point, where the park’s oldest-known bristlecone pine grows. The second will begin at 1:00 p.m., and will be led by Ranger Kodi Schoppmann from the Kolob Canyons District of Zion National Park. Schoppmann is certified as a Master of Leave No Trace Ethics instructor, and her hike will focus on how hikers can help preserve the areas they visit on our public lands by practicing “leave no trace” etiquette while hiking trails. Both hikes will leave from the Spectra Point Trailhead in the Visitor Center parking lot at Cedar Breaks National Monument. Participants should wear sturdy hiking shoes, bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and warm clothing to guard against the cool fall temperatures expected during these 2-mile round-trip hikes.

The Cedar Breaks Visitor Center will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on National Public Lands Day. In addition to the geology exhibits, visitors to the Visitor Center will find a wide range of books, maps, and visual aids that provide in-depth information about the park, other National Park and forest sites, and the rest of the Colorado Plateau. Rangers will present geology talks each hour at the Point Supreme Overlook near the visitor center from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

The Point Supreme campground will close for the season on Sunday, October 1, but all overlooks and the main park road will remain open until closed by the first major storm, normally in late November or early December. As the snow deepens, the park will remain open to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling on designated trails.

Anyone seeking additional information should call (435) 586-9451, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

Other Cedar Breaks events:
Hawk Release
2005 Eagle Release,
Astronomy Nights
Wildflower Festival
Public Lands Day