For the second year in a row, attendance at Utah's five national parks has stayed below 2021's tourism explosion, according to recent federal data.

Why it matters: In recent years, record numbers of park visitors have encountered full parking lots before 8am, crowds obscuring views, thin camping options and air pollution.

Meanwhile, residents of nearby communities have seen housing costs rise and so many dwellings converted to vacation rentals that tourism industry employees can't find places to live.

By the numbers: The Mighty Five — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion — tallied 10.6 million visits in 2023.

• That's a slight increase from 2022, but below the 11.3 million visits in 2021.
• 2019 also brought more tourists, and 2018 was close behind.

The intrigue: Utah's park traffic departed from the rest of the country, where national park visitation overall has continued to climb sharply following 2021.

Zoom in: Bryce Canyon is Utah's only national park where visitation has continuously increased since COVID began four years ago.

• Zion, the nation's third-busiest national park last year with 4.6 million visits, saw attendance decline slightly from 2022.

Yes, but: At Glen Canyon, which is operated by the National Park Service, tourism soared to record highs last year — surpassing even Zion.

• Utah's record snowmelt last spring allowed multiple boat ramps to reopen following closures because years of drought shrunk Lake Powell.
• Visits jumped from 2.8 million in 2022 to 5.2 million last year.

Zoom out: The 63 national parks in the U.S. saw a record 92.4 million visits in 2023.

• As usual, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the most visited, followed by the Grand Canyon.

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As spring arrives, Utah's ski resorts are preparing to shut down their operations for the 2023-24 season.

State of play: Utah's ski season got off to a slow start, but conditions quickly improved after the state saw plentiful snowfall, particularly in February.

• Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and Snowbasin resorts each recently extended their seasons.

Here's when resorts plan to close:

Alta: April 21

Beaver Mountain: April 7

Brian Head Resort: May 5

Brighton: May 19, with limited services after April 28

Cherry Peak: April 7

Deer Valley Resort: April 21

Eagle Point: April 7

Nordic Valley: Weekly operations closed Monday, but the resort will remain open Friday-Sunday through the rest of the season. A closing date will be determined based on conditions.

Park City Mountain: April 22

Powder Mountain: April 7

Snowbasin: April 28

Snowbird: May 27

Solitude: Until at least May 12

Sundance: April 7

Woodward Park City: Lift ticket sales on Woodward Park City's website stop after April 16. Snow tubing ticket sales halt after April 7.

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🏳️‍🌈 Salt Lake's iconic gay bar, the Sun Trapp, has relinquished its liquor license after ownership disputes and a plumbing problem. (Salt Lake Tribune)

🛝 Taufer Park in Central City is slated for cleanup and renovations after neighbors complained it was overrun with drugs, litter and human waste. (KSL.com)

• The public is invited to a planning session 6pm Monday at the Central City Rec Center.
• Madsen Park near North Temple got a similar makeover last year.

🚨Six people were hospitalized with minor-to-serious injuries on Tuesday from a shooting and stabbing that occurred on Tuesday outside a funeral home downtown. (FOX 13)

• All injured parties had attended an event at the funeral home before the altercation occurred, according to authorities.
• Three people were stabbed, and one person was shot, per authorities. The other two, who were found in a car allegedly fleeing the scene, had minor injuries.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is slated for Jan. 23–Feb. 2, the nonprofit behind the event announced on Tuesday. It will return to Park City and Salt Lake City.

What they're saying: "While the next Sundance Film Festival is still 10 months away, we're already laying the foundation for the 2025 edition," Eugene Hernandez, the festival's director and head of public programming, said in a statement.

Flashback: This year's buzziest films, include the Grand Jury prize-winner for U.S. Dramatic Competition, "In the Summers;" the documentary "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story;" the drama "Freaky Tales;" and the Steven Soderbergh thriller "Presence."

By the numbers: The neon-thriller film, "It's What's Inside," which sold to Netflix for $17 million and Jesse Eisenberg's drama, "A Real Pain," which was acquired by Searchlight for $10 million, were among the biggest deals announced this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

State of play: In a podcast interview in January, Sundance Institute CEO Joana Vicente confirmed negotiations were coming up with Park City officials as rumors about the festival moving out of the resort town swirled, per The Hollywood Reporter.

What's next: Additional details will be announced in the coming months.

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