national parks

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.

Record numbers of visitors came to national parks last year, and many of those sites were in the Mountain West. But staffing cuts and potential reductions have some advocates worried for the future.

More than 150 gatherings took place Saturday at National Park Service sites nationwide. They were organized by a group of off-duty or former park service staff and seasonal employees.

Two representatives from our region are seeking to strip presidential powers to designate national monuments and historic landmarks. But Indigenous communities caution the effort could remove a safeguard for sacred lands and pave the way for development.

Environmental groups are worried that a short portion of the recently adopted US House rules package could expedite the transfer of public land to states – and ultimately to private entities.

The National Park Service encourages people to avoid going to parks, monuments and historic sites it manages if they close because of a shutdown.

The National Park Service this month issued a first-ever director’s order to strengthen its consultation with tribes in the Mountain West and beyond.

Some senators want the National Park and Forest services to reconsider plans restricting the use of fixed anchors for rock climbing.

Those tourism dollars often help keep local economies running, but there’s also major stresses on infrastructure that is not built to withstand the crowds.