national parks

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.

It wasn’t a typical fall day at one of the most popular national parks in the country. The night before, the federal government shut down, leaving fewer workers on the job. Yet the Trump Administration decided that national parks should largely remain open, nonetheless.

The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce is encouraging visitors to prepare for reduced services.

Park road and trails will mostly be open to visitors, but buildings and sites that can lock during non-business hours will stay inaccessible.

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

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

Compared to his first term, the threat posed by Trump’s second administration is on a “new level,” environmental groups and legal experts say.

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.