Since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1, many national parks and historic sites have remained open — but with severely reduced staff.
Entrance fees are going uncollected, visitor centers are closed, and illegal activities abound in popular parks like Yosemite. In response to these challenges, local organizations and groups have stepped up to help visitors, maintain facilities, and preserve their hometown parks.
The 2019 shutdown had many negative impacts on national parks, and it’s important to make sure that doesn’t happen again, said Jason Nelson, YMCA of the Rockies’ marketing and communications director.
“For us in the area that we’re in, with being right next door [to Rocky Mountain National Park], what could we do to lean in and be good neighbors?” Nelson told GearJunkie. “Because with everything going on, it’s a good time to be a good neighbor and create something that reminds other people what it means to be good neighbors.”
Effects of the Shutdown
The White House has mandated that national parks stay open during the shutdown. But they’re operating with only a “skeleton crew,” according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Staff in emergency and essential services, such as firefighting and power grid maintenance, are the only park employees working (without pay), according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Not only has this staff reduction hampered the National Park Service’s (NPS) ability to communicate to the public during emergencies like wildfires, but it also means that visitors cannot call or stop by visitors’ centers for information or assistance about the park.
During the shutdown, visitors also don’t have to pay to enter the parks, mostly because there’s no one to take the parks’ entry fees. The National Parks Conservation Association estimates that the NPS could lose as much as $1 million in entrance fees per day during the shutdown. October is peak season for many parks, including Arcadia, Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, and Shenandoah.
During the last government shutdown in 2018–2019, there were also reports of vandalism, overflowing trash, and illegal activities.
Locals Help Out
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park. According to the NPS, it provided $3.4 billion in economic impact to the larger community in 2023.
When the shutdown hit on October 1, local governments and businesses knew that this could deliver a heavy blow to their economy, which relies on tourism to the national park.
To mitigate that problem, seven groups, including local governments and the Cherokee Indians, worked together to keep the park operational and fully pay its 275-person staff, according to a statement from Friends of the Smokies.
“The park is a vital part of our regional economy, and closing it during peak fall season is simply not an option. We are proud to welcome the hundreds of thousands of visitors who will come to enjoy the Smokies in the weeks ahead,” Sevier County Mayor Larry Water said.
As of now, the park’s staff is fully funded through October 19. Not only will paying staff and offering full services likely encourage visitors, but it should also prevent sanitation and safety issues.
Other Parks and Federal Lands
In other areas, park-associated nonprofits are taking similar actions. In Hawaii, nonprofit Pacific Historic Parks has worked with other partners to pay staff to keep the Pearl Harbor National Memorial open during the shutdown. And in Virginia, Friends of Vicksburg has used donations to keep the Vicksburg National Military Park open to visitors.
Meanwhile, in Maine, Friends of Acadia is encouraging visitors — both online and through posted flyers — to donate the entrance fee they’re not paying to support the park. The organization also pivoted its trail stewardship days from inside the park (since it’s unable to do them during the shutdown) to other local hiking trails and natural areas.
The Access Fund is stepping in to make sure that climbing areas on federal lands are clean and running smoothly. They’re also restocking bathrooms at Indian Creek and Red River Gorge.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Even as parks stay open, most visitor centers — crucial sites for information, maps, and safety guidelines — remain closed. Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC), a nonprofit, is taking up the mantle at Rocky Mountain National Park. Its members have stepped in to keep the Falls River Visitor Center open and interact with and inform visitors.
“They don’t have the training or the same educational background and institutional knowledge as our dedicated Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers … they’re doing the best that they can, but they can’t replace National Park Service staff members,” Kaci Yoh, communications manager for the RMC, told The Aspen Times.
If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed, even during a shutdown, it’s that people produce trash, and limited park staff means that sanitation issues can arise. In response, the YMCA of the Rockies has organized park clean-up days.
The YMCA facility is right next to the park, so staff have led hikes with volunteers through the park, collecting trash along the way. They’ve run two so far, and have two more scheduled for October 18-19. YMCA staff are also regularly going through the park and emptying out full trash cans.
“On top of mind to me was the impact that the government shutdown in 2018 had on the national parks. I mean, I still remember all the stories about how Joshua Tree was getting trashed, or even the reports that were coming out of Rocky Mountain National Park during that time period,” Jason Nelson told GearJunkie.
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