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2mo ago

Yosemite Sees Daytime BASE Jumps During Shutdown as Rangers Thin Out

The National Park Service says emergency services are limited during the shutdown.

Image
Yosemite National Park in summer.
Hikers get ready to “cut” in front of the line while climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
The Tioga Pass fee station, at the eastern entrance to Yosemite National park, is vacant of available employees to collect fees that help fund the park, on the first day of the government shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025.

Overview

  • Eyewitnesses reported a noticeable surge of jumpers launching from El Capitan in broad daylight this week, with some landing in El Capitan Meadow and walking off without interference.
  • The National Park Service told Newsweek that BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks because it endangers participants, other visitors and first responders.
  • Park staffing has been sharply reduced during the federal shutdown, with one employee describing only a volunteer wilderness ranger on duty and reports of campground squatters and unauthorized Half Dome ascents.
  • The Department of the Interior says only activities needed to protect life and property continue during the shutdown, and it warns that emergency services are limited.
  • BASE jumping cases in parks can be pursued under the NPS "air delivery" rule with penalties up to a $5,000 fine and six months in jail, as a nonprofit called BASE Access presses a lawsuit seeking permitted access in Yosemite.