The National Park Service did its part to reduce that stream with a 2011 policy allowing local park officials to ban sales of bottled water, but on Wednesday the agency unexpectedly reversed that policy, effectively ending bottle bans at several Utah national parks including Zion and Arches.
“While we will continue to encourage the use of free water bottle filling stations as appropriate, ultimately it should be up to our visitors to decide how best to keep themselves and their families hydrated during a visit to a national park, particularly during hot summer visitation periods,” said Michael T.