National Parks

As the government shutdown continues, visitors to national parks are finding some remain accessible but with limited services. This could lead to some visitors changing their plans which may have a significant impact on local communities that depend on visitor spending.

The National Park Service said most roads and trails are open, but most buildings are closed. Some are confused about what they’ll find when they arrive at any given park site.

The Senate appropriations bill could also lift a hiring freeze and prevent future land sell-offs.

Public lands advocates are hoping to draw attention to proposed cuts to the National Parks Service and other land management agencies by visiting gateway towns in the West.

National parks enter their busiest season understaffed and underfunded. Morning Edition visited Joshua Tree to speak with local business owners and a park ranger feeling the impact.

The Department of the Interior is requiring the National Park Service to post signs nationwide by June 13 asking visitors for feedback on any information they feel misrepresents American history.

Handing over some sites that cater to mostly local visitors could cut the agency’s budget by 25%.

National Parks Week begins this weekend, kicking off with free entry to all parks on Saturday, April 19 — just weeks after mass layoffs and court-ordered reinstatements of some park workers.

For example, Utah’s Zion National Park has four days annually on average above 92.4 degrees – its 99th percentile temperature. That could jump to 21 days, or even higher.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week ordered all national parks to “remain open and accessible.” The directive comes after about 1,000 National Park Service employees were fired. In March, a federal judge ordered them – and thousands of other laid-off federal workers – to be reinstated, but the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked that order.