Zion National Park Adding New Restrooms In Watchman Campground

Can you ever have enough restrooms in a national campground? If your answer is "no," then you'll be happy to hear that three new "comfort stations" are being built to replace old facilities at the Watchman Campground in Zion National Park.

Park crews this week started construction on the new restrooms. These 900-square-foot buildings will include the restroom facilities, sidewalks, and adjacent landscaping. The replacement of the deteriorating comfort stations is necessary to improve visitor safety and resource protection, according to park officials. The project is expected to be completed by mid-July 2012.

The new comfort stations will be designed using the National Park Service Rustic Style and will incorporate sustainability principles. The project will also include the removal of four existing comfort stations.

One campsite will be closed in Loop B and two campsites in Loop C of Watchman Campground for the duration of the project. The remaining campsites in Loops B and C will be open throughout the construction period. Visitors camping in sites near the project area might experience construction noise during daytime hours.

The work will be completed primarily by contract that was awarded to Grand Enterprises, LLC from Ogden, Utah. Funding for this project came from the National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, which provides monies collected from park entrance fees and other fees for use in park maintenance, repair projects, and public service programs.


When I was in Watchman last spring -- during a beautiful snow storm -- two other new restroom buildings were under construction. I was surprised and delighted to find that each campsite there also had an electric service box that made power (included in all campground fees) available. That will eliminate the constant noise of generators to run air conditioners in the summer months.

Comfort station?? Is that what we call bath rooms now??LOL

Yeah, really… why overcomplicate it? It's a restroom. Even if the NPS is calling it a "comfort station," it's a restroom.

Very useful information. I was very pleased. Thanks

The term "comfort station" has been in use around the NPS for years. Since there are quite a few places in parks where it's many a mile between such facilities, the term is probably very appropriate :-)

what they need in zion is SHOWERS!!!! they have no shower facilities in either campground.

Ah, showers in Zion. Back in the old days (and it may still be the case), we'd get frequent reports that "there's a naked man taking a shower at the RV dump station."

Invariably, it was a Frenchman who seemed compeletly baffled as to why someone reported him for simply taking a shower.