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Some Parks Faring Better Than Others In The Government Shutdown

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By Erika Zambello - January 22nd, 2019
yellowstone, national park, winter, mountain, wyoming

Winter in Yellowstone National Park / Pixabay

As the government shutdown continues, some national parks are faring better than others. While sites like Joshua Tree have garnered world-wide attention for the tragic destruction of cultural and natural resources, other parks have retained more normalcy. This report comes from three National Geographic Young Explorers across the country.

Great Falls Park, Everglades National Park, and Shenandoah National Park

During the shutdown, amphibian expert Jonathan Kolby has been traveling in the Southeast. 

"I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the parks being respected by the public during my visits," Kolby says, "I've now been to the Everglades, Shenandoah, and Great Falls during the shutdown,and aside from it being more quiet than usual, and most restrooms being closed, things seemed all right."

He continues, "I'm cautiously optimistic; I've seen the news about other places like Joshua Tree, but at least where I was, during my visits, things seemed rather okay."

Yellowstone National Park

Rebecca Tarvin participated in a snowmobile tour into the park, starting at the privately operated Headwaters Lodge at Flagg Ranch. 

The Lodge "was completely functioning, with convenience store and gift shop," she explained. "There was buffet food, but I think this was staffed in accordance with the company putting on the snowmobile tours."

Inside the park itself, winter maintenance appeared ongoing: "The main road was groomed for snowmobile and snowcoach tours; we saw rangers patrolling on snowmobiles." Additionally, "When we went through the entrance, the booth wasn't staffed and no entrance fees were charged. But our guide did check in with the ranger, so someone must be keeping track of how many people are entering the park."

Gulf Islands National Seashore - Florida 

While gates to hiking paths and intracoastal accesses are closed, I saw that walkers can still reach trail systems by parking at the gates. Because winter in Northwest Florida is not the height of tourist season, limited visitation has kept the area relatively clean, and most who hit the seashore are locals. However, the popular campground is closed, impacting tourism, and the shutdown affects the park's ability to find a new operator for its 2019 ferry season.

Have you visited a park during the shutdown? Tell us what you've seen in the comments below!

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