State parks cut operating hours due to COVID-19 pandemic
State park facilities have reduced operating hours in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is impacting visitor centers, museums, restaurants and two marinas.
In an effort to make the parks safer and more efficient, park visitor centers and museums will only be open five days a week, instead of seven days a week as before.
“The goal is to limit contact between staff and visitors, and (between) visitors and visitors,” Meg Matthews, deputy chief of communications with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, said Tuesday.
The altered hours will continue until at least February, she said, and “we’ll re-evaluate at that point.”
The two days in which the buildings will be closed will be based on which days see the fewest number of visitors.
A news release said the changes are “focusing on staying open during busiest days.” Matthews said “generally, weekends are busier” for state parks so most of the facilities will likely close on some weekdays.
Another benefit of the change, Matthews said, is that it allows park staff to be more flexible on what they are doing in the park. It will allow the parks to “efficiently manage available resources,” the release said.
The two marinas affected by the changes are at DeGray Lake Resort and Lake Ouachita State Park. Matthews said the two marinas will not be closing, but their services will be more restricted.
“They’ll still be open for use,” she said, but those who want to use them “need to
contact (the park) and give them a heads up.”
The “state park restaurants will remain open but with reduced seating capacity. Buffets remain closed but carry out meals will still be available,” the release said.
The decision to make the changes came “because of all the impact of COVID that we experienced over the last few months,” Matthews said, noting they decided to “take another look” at these issues.
“It’s important to us to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” she said. Things that will not be changing include contactless check-in for campers and “providing personal protective equipment to all staff,” Matthews said.
“Our goal is to continue to offer the premier level of service to our guests that Arkansas State Parks has become known for,” Arkansas State Parks Director Grady Spann said in the news release. “The safety of our guests and staff is paramount, and these measures will allow us to still offer the park experience that so many visitors have counted on for decades and do it in a safe way.”
Statewide, the state parks have 1,800 campsites, 1,050 picnic sites, 208 cabins, five lodges, and 415 miles of trails. Eight million visitors annually come from all regions of the country. Park staffs provide over 42,000 education programs, activities, and special events to more than 700,000 participants each year, according to the release.