Particle.news
Download on the App Store
53 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

Shutdown Begins: National Parks Stay Largely Open With Skeleton Crews

Critics warn the fee-funded approach and deep furloughs risk visitor safety and resource protection.

Tourist crowd around a window to view the Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Visitors are turned away from the the closed Visitors Center in Yosemite National Park in January 2018, during a previous federal shutdown. Visitors centers at major national parks are likely to be closed during this year's shutdown as well.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Yosemite Valley, El Capitan and Half Dome seen while driving into Yosemite National Park on June 19, 2025.

Overview

  • Interior’s contingency plan keeps roads, trails and open‑air memorials accessible while visitor centers and other staffed buildings close, and park websites will not be updated except for emergencies.
  • Roughly 9,296 of about 14,500 National Park Service employees are furloughed as essential staff continue limited law enforcement and emergency functions without pay until backpay is approved.
  • Parks that collect entrance fees will draw on Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act balances to sustain basic services like restrooms, trash collection, some campground operations and safety messaging.
  • The service authorizes agreements with states and third parties to fund operations but will not reimburse them; Utah says its five national parks will stay open, Arizona will not fund Grand Canyon operations, and Colorado is weighing options.
  • Advocacy groups and more than 40 former superintendents urge closures citing damage and sanitation failures during the 2018–2019 shutdown, and superintendents report last‑minute directives causing confusion and low morale.