President Trump wants some national parks to reopen soon, but how long will it take parks to ramp up to handle visitors?/Kurt Repanshek file

Editor's note: This updates with reaction from the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks and the National Parks Conservation Association.

President Trump used an Earth Day event in Washington on Wednesday to say some national parks that have been closed by the coronavirus pandemic could soon reopen, though the National Park Service largely has been quiet on how long it would take parks to reopen.

"Thanks to our significant progress against the invisible enemy, I am pleased to announce that in line with my administration’s guidelines for opening up America again we will begin to reopen our national parks and public lands for the American people to enjoy,” the president said at a tree-planting at the White House.

When individual parks might open depends in part on the status of "shelter in place" or "stay home" orders in their states. Following Trump's statement, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt tweeted that he was "committed to working with governors and local public health officials to gradually reopen our National Parks in a safe manner for the American people to once again enjoy."

Reopening a national park is not as simple as raising the gates. 

National Park Service personnel have been careful not to lock themselves into reopening dates. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told Traveler earlier this month that bringing his park's 400-500 seasonal workers back to work for the summer season was going to be a complicated operation because of the virus.

"It's a complex conversation given the unknowns about the future, especially relating to how we would effectively mitigate transmission risks to our employees on the front-lines, manage large congregations of visitors, visitors in hotels, employees in dormitories, etc.," Sholly wrote in an email.

The superintendent added that he planned to bring seasonals back to work in waves, with the first wave arriving in May sometime. Those 160-170 workers deal with sanitation throughout the park's front country, law enforcement rangers, paramedics, and "visitor/wildlife interface employees," said Sholly, "and a range of positions needed to continue moving forward on critical priorities, like bison management and non-native fish eradication, etc."

The second wave of seasonal help would arrive throughout the summer, depending on available housing space. Yellowstone also likely will reopen to the public in waves, the superintendent said.

In Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park's superintendent has said seasonals he brings back for the summer could be required to go through a 14-day quarantine as currently required by the state for arrivals through May 19.

At the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, Chair Phil Francis said he wanted to see the reopening plan that the Park Service has ready to go.

“I don’t think the National Park Service is prepared to open as quickly as the president and secretary want. I don’t think we have the people in place," Francis said during a phone call. "I don’t think we have training in place, the PPE in place. If there is pent-up demand and we have large capacity, by no means will we have the capacity to manage the people in a way that is effective and to ensure their saftey and ensure our resources are protected.

“What I would love to see, and since it’s Wednesday already, is that if they are ready to open that should mean that their plans are completed and are being executed, and I think the American public should demand to see them," he added.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, Theresa Pierno agreed with Francis that the parks can't simply open overnight.

“We understand how important national parks and their employees are to America. But the president's call today to reopen national parks is dangerous," said Pierno, NPCA's president and CEO. "At this time, park staff cannot protect their health, the health of the visitors, or the resources they manage. We've heard from park staff that they don't have the proper protective equipment and have no indication any is coming to them. And at many of our national parks, social distancing has already proven to be nearly impossible. It's critical that until it's safe, parks already closed should remain so. And those that have not yet closed should be allowed to do so immediately."

Traveler on Wednesday was awaiting responses from National Park Service headquarters, as well as from Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks in Wyoming, concerning how the agency would juggle its "onboarding" process of bringing seasonals back to work if states lifted their "shelter in place" or "stay at home" orders before parks were ready to handle visitors. Wyoming's order could be lifted May 1, if not sooner.

At the Western Values Project, which regularly criticizes the Trump administration, Director Jayson O’Neill said Trump's announcement about reopening the parks was reckless.

“This shoot-from-the-hip order is eerily similar to the Trump administration’s reckless and careless decision to waive entrance fees that caused a surge in visitors and tourists before park superintendents and local officials had safety measures, protocols, procedures, or even plans in place to protect visitors and employees from the coronavirus pandemic," said O'Neill.

"It would behoove Trump to focus on the immediate needs of American families, not serving up gimmicks to distract from the administration’s failures," O'Neill added. "Let the experts with boots on the ground - working in conjunction with state and local health officials and governors - make the decision because Trump and his team have proven time and again to be incapable of it.”