Rangers were not available Saturday to remove trees downed on the road leading to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, according to NPCA/NPCA photo

Editor's note: This updates with a photo from Olympic National Park of trees down on the road to the Hoh Rain Forest.

As Saturday dawned, the government was shut down, most National Park Service personnel were furloughed, and visitors to the parks were largely on their own. No fees were collected, many restrooms and visitor centers were closed, but concession operations were in business.

Whether any visitors would get into trouble -- a couple at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area got lost last weekend and stayed out overnight in single-digit weather with the Park Service fully operational -- some groups were voicing concern that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's decision to keep the parks open while most Park Service personnel were sent home was dangerous.

While the government was shut down on Saturday, national parks remained open while most National Park Service employees were furloughed.

"There is no substitute for National Park Service staff and their expertise, and it is not wise to put the public or our park resources at risk by allowing for half-measures to keep them open," said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association. "And yet, that’s exactly what the Department of Interior is asking park superintendents to do. Keeping parks open with virtually no staff is a risky situation, and the guidance park staff is being given is vague at best."

At the Sierra Club, Jackie Ostfeld, associate director of the Outdoors Campaign, said,"(T)he reality is that our parks can’t operate without the Park Service. Keeping them open without staff is dangerous for both visitors and for the delicate ecosystems in our parks. Risking both visitors and important cultural sites to win political points is the height of irresponsibility. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see this administration put our parks at risk - after all, this is the same administration that wants to double entrance fees and shut out low-income families from our national parks, all while proposing massive budget cuts to the National Park Service.

“Trump may have escaped a few bad headlines today by keeping parks open through this irresponsible and damaging government shutdown, but the millions of people who love and enjoy our national parks every day won’t forget all the damage done to our public lands by this administration.”

Some problems were noticed across the National Park System, where rangers were not immediately available at Olympic National Park to remove trees downed on the road to the Hoh Rain Forest, said representatives of the National Parks Conservation Association.

NPCA staff estimated that "approximately a third of our 417 national park sites are now completely closed, including places like Ford’s Theatre, the Statue of Liberty, presidential homes, and other historic and cultural sites primarily made up of buildings that can be locked. Other park sites will remain semi-open, and what is accessible to the public will differ from park to park."

"More than 21,000 Park Service employees are being furloughed during park closures," noted NPCA's John Garder. "Thousands more contract employees and small business owners will also be affected. That leaves a 3,298 'essential staff' to manage 80 million acres of national park lands, from Acadia to American Samoa to Zion."

Different parks were handling the shut down differently, and with some interesting impacts. At Everglades National Park in Florida, for instance, the fish cleaning station was closed, but the boat launches were open. Backcountry camping was allowed, but on a first-come, first-served basis, and no permits were being issued, which could create some problems.

Opinions on the impact of the shutdown, and who was responsible, ran the gamut on Traveler's Facebook page.

"Who misses rangers when they dress like cops and act like cops? Law enforcement has no place in the parks," wrote Chad Emery.

But Jeff Darren Muse wrote, "Think about more than a snapshot. Whenever you visit a national park — be it one with a natural emphasis, cultural, or otherwise — you visit a place that represents a long history of struggle and success with stewardship. Stewardship for this and future generations — the heart of the Organic Act of 1916. Geologists and biologists and archeologists are part of that history. Firefighters and trail crew and resource specialists are. Law enforcement officers. Emergency responders. Interpretive rangers and educators giving formal programs to families and school groups, or informal activities in visitor centers, at bus stops, near trailheads. Wilderness rangers combing through permits and working to keep the backcountry, well, the backcountry. Maintenance staff!

"This shutdown is a big deal," he went on. "If it’s short, not too big. If it drags on, parks and other public lands will be threatened. The primary threat? Taking them — and their preservation — for granted. You don’t just save a place once. You have to save it over and over and over again. That’s what these employees do. With partners, of course. With the public. For now, get out there, enjoy yourself, please look after the place. No other country in the world has this remarkable heritage."

And Judi Staab pointed out that, "Just remember those of you who disrespect our hard-working rangers, they are also the ones who have to fish your boiled carcass out of the boiling water when you disregard the danger signs in Yellowstone, pick up your mangled body parts when you are in a climbing accident or taunt a bison, and haul you out on a litter from the backcountry. Don't think they're getting paid the big bucks and they are living in substandard park housing with little or no insulation and no a.c.

"Just sayin'! Good luck out there today! Hope you don't need a ranger!"

Traveler footnote: If you're out in the park system during the government shutdown, please share your experience in comments to this story. Did you miss Park Service rangers, did you encounter any issues?