zion-mt. carmel tunnel

Like other reviewers noted, who knew that a road would be an attraction?! But in our case, it proved to be a life-saver. My girlfriend and I were visiting Zion and the region when massive snow hit the area in late February/early March and made travel through the Southern Utah mountains quite treacherous and we needed to get back to Phoenix to catch a flight. We decided to re-route on path and instead of driving through Utah, we chose to go via Las Vegas. To do so, we had to drive through the snowy east portion of Zion to reach the tunnel to get to the west side. It was amazing how on one side of the tunnel was snow/ice and the other side was several degrees warmer and just rain. The tunnel certainly doesn't have powers, but it's part of the Zion charm and beauty (even though there really isn't anything to see when you're inside the tunnel). Worth a drive through just to experience.

But since they've pointed it out it as one, our experience is funny is because there happened to be no cars behind us, and when we look back, seems really spooky.

I was surprised to see that there are a handful of reviewers who really hate this tunnel! Not me; I found it a unique and amazing experience to drive through this mile-plus stretch cut through the solid rock of the mountain. Some folks think it should have lights or even be widened, but I think it’s an historical feature of the park and reflects the times in which it was constructed. It’s not a straight span of road either - it’s got a bend to it. And the five “windows” of various sizes add to the experience. Another thing that struck me is how different the topography and scenery is on either side of the tunnel. I would recommend everyone who visits the valley drive through the tunnel to at least see the east side of the park, as it’s very different in character from the main valley.

We'd visited Zion several times and whether entering or exiting the park via the tunnel it's always impressive.Views from the road as you're nearer the bottom of the main canyon are amazing, definitely different views than you get during various hikes in the canyon.The tunnel itself is different for sure but it's only a means to an ends to get in/out of the canyon or to other hikes.

Wish you could stop and look out the holes in the tunnel the view would be uncomparable . It was a neat experience

We didn't have any prior knowledge of how beautiful the Mt. Carmel Highway connecting Zion and Bryce is before we embarked on our journey. But in the midst of our "Oohs" and "Aahs" and "Wows!" this came as an "Oh My God!!". It was in mid January so we didn't expect any delays other than that caused by the slow driving traffic through the tunnel. It is inhuman to expect people to not go at a creeping pace while they are experiencing something this fantastic as there are not stops or pullouts allowed inside the tunnel and on the sides of the windows carved on the wall. But the traffic was regulated on both ends and we could understand that this has the potential to get a bit annoying during the busy season. But in all fairness its probably worth the wait.

I can see this being a major nuisance when busy waiting for larger RV's or motor homes as the tunnel is long and narrow. A couple of look outs are scattered through to give brief views (no stopping) that break up the darkness a bit. An engineering marvel for sure, and thankfully not busy in winter.

Although the engineering intrigued hubby, the tunnel itself was dark and really nothing to see. Drive had lots of switchbacks with pretty vistas but not very many places to pull off

If there are RVs about, be prepared to wait 5-10 minutes to be let through. Not a real problem though because the scenery is so nice. Tempting, but no stopping at the windows.

The tunnel isn't a big attraction, but mainly the only way to get to/from the eastern part of Zion & also the easiest way to/from Bryce Canyon. Considering the time when this was built it really is a marvel of engineering, even if it's size is inconvenient to those driving gigantic RVs nowadays.

We witnessed a traffic stop in the westerly direction caused by what appeared to be a smallish sized camper (but with mirrors that jutted out) coming east. This could be an inconvenience to put it mildly if this happens frequently! If you're not in a hurry .... you just have more time to oggle the surrounding rock formations!

We had to drive through the tunnel while we were in the area and even though we were only driving through and then turning back to come back to the park we enjoyed the views and the changes in the landscape after you come through the other side. We had to stop and wait for motorhomes to come through but there really wasn't too much traffic cause we were even able to stop in the tunnel and take a few pictures! Its amazing they were able to make this tunnel through the rock and for such a long distance you really should drive through to appreciate the size.

The tunnel is very dark, and there is no two-way traffic. A certain amount of cars are let in each way at different times.

I've never been in a tunnel that was this long and dark. The quick glances you get through the windows was breathtaking. Also like other reviewers have said the landscape on both sides is so different. We saw probably 6 big horn sheep on the other side of the tunnel so keep your eyes open for them.

You should try to go through the tunnel either on the way into or out of the park. There can be delays, so I wouldn't want to get stuck doing it every day of my trip. The views just before and after the tunnel are awesome. There are openings as you pass through that provide amazing, but brief glimpses of the terrain.