CEDAR CITY — Cedar Canyon will be closed to motor vehicle traffic Saturday from 6-11 a.m. Saturday for the Cedar City Half Marathon, race organizers announced.
According to a statement posted on the race’s Facebook page, Utah Highway Patrol will close down state Route 14 between the mouth of Cedar Canyon in Cedar City to the turnoff to Cedar Breaks at state Route 148.
Additionally, Right Hand Canyon Road will be closed between SR-14 and the turnoff to Cedar Highlands Drive.
The suggested alternative route for motorists looking to access Cedar Breaks National Monument, Navajo Lake and Duck Creek areas during that time is to use state Route 143 through Parowan Canyon.
Motorists entering Cedar Canyon Saturday before 6 a.m. should also be on the lookout for shuttle buses taking runners to the starting line and for volunteers setting up signage and aid stations.
The race has aid stations approximately every 2 miles along the route, including at the mouth of Cedar Canyon (1.4 miles from Main Street), the gravel pits (3.5 miles), just east of Milt’s Restaurant (5.6 miles), the canyon slide area (7.7 miles), the Shelf Rock turnout (9.2 miles) and at the starting line area by Woods Ranch.
Traffic will be allowed to re-enter the canyon going westbound after 11 a.m. There will be a Utah Highway Patrol vehicle and sweep vehicles driving slowly to protect the last runner all the way to the mouth of the canyon. It is recommended that motorists wishing to drive westbound to Cedar City between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. to use the Cedar Breaks turnoff at Midway as an alternate route.
The event, billed as one of the most spectacular closed-canyon half marathons in the country, has 700 registered participants this year, race chairman Bryan Dangerfield said.
The 13.1-mile course will begin near Woods Ranch and proceed down Cedar Canyon to the Coal Creek bridge, then onto the Cedar City Trail system through Canyon Park, under Center Street, through the Little League fields and under the 200 North bridge and under Main Street bridge to Memory Grove and onto the street next to the Bicentennial Soccer Complex, site of the finish line.
“Thanks again for finding alternative routes and for your patience,” the statement from the city said. “We’ve tried to do all we can to minimize traffic congestion and to maximize the safety of the runners.”
For more information about Saturday’s race and associated events, click here.
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