Coronavirus

Hours after Coconino County officials in Arizona, frustrated that Grand Canyon National Park is still open despite the worsening coronavirus pandemic, urged Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Thursday to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and close the park, the National Park Service announced some operational changes at the park.

Vandalism, illegal camping, overcrowding, and short-staffing issues are cropping up and overtaxing some units of the National Park System due to the coronavirus pandemic. The issues are reminiscent of those that arose during the partial government shutdown of 2018-2019.

Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks announced Tuesday afternoon that they would be closed to all visitors. The announcement came hours after Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials, unable to discourage visitors from coming into the park, announced that they would close most of the park to the public in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. That was followed by news that the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway would close, and Mount Rainier National Park officials said they were closing all roads into their park.

On Friday, March 20, a day when normally most people would be at work, Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park was teeming with cars. Although a growing list of parks have closed in the face of coronavirus concerns, some national parks, including two popular spots in the mid-Atlantic region—Shenandoah and the National Mall—remain open to park visitors.