These Northern California national parks could be closed amid a US government shutdown

The U.S. federal government could shut down beginning Sunday, which would lead to the closure of national park sites across the country, including regionally in Northern California, the National Park Service announced Friday.

That means Yosemite, El Dorado National Forest, Point Reyes National Seashore, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Alcatraz and other sites will close if Congress doesn’t agree to a new deal funding federal agencies before the fiscal years ends Saturday. The National Park Service is run by the Department of the Interior.

“Our national parks reflect who we are as a country and unite us in our common purpose to not only enjoy their beauty, but also to preserve them for all Americans to enjoy,” the National

Park Service wrote in a news release. “However, in the event of a lapse in annual government appropriations, National Park Service (NPS) sites will be closed. This means that the majority of national parks will be closed completely to public access. Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services.”

Meanwhile, Fat Bear Week might be canceled if a shutdown occurs.

Officials estimate national parks could lose roughly a half million visitors per day throughout the country leading to an economic loss of $70 million per day. Additionally, roughly 378,000 park employees could be without paychecks. A shutdown would come on the heels of parks seeing a record $50.3 billion in visitor spending in 2022.

What happened last time?

The last government shutdown came in 201819 and lasted 34 days when former President Donald Trump issued a partial shutdown while attempting to keep national parks open.

Many closed, but those that remained open were understaffed, leading to excessive trash buildup, overflowing toilets and damage from activities such as illegal off-roading.

Yosemite stayed open during that time though much of its public staff was furloughed. Private businesses such as hotels, shuttle services and restaurants remained open. But with no public staff in place, many of the park’s rules were ignored, including those to preserve sensitive areas and keep patrons safe from bears, who became accustomed to humans leaving more food around than normal.

The National Parks Conservation Association, an independent and non-partisan group, says it strongly supports the closing of all parks during a government shutdown because “it is the only way to protect the health and safety of park visitors and wildlife and the integrity of our most precious natural and cultural resources.”

The NPCA also said the “majority” of park service employees were furloughed, leaving fewer than 3,300 available to tend to the over 400 park sites. Eighty-six percent of park staff were furloughed during the government shutdown in 2013, but the parks were fully closed under former President Barack Obama, leading to far less damage than the 2018-19 shutdown.

According to an NPS report on the fallout, the 16-day shutdown in 2013 resulted in losses of 7.88 million visits and $414 million in visitor spending.

Shutdown creating uncertainty

The Yosemite Valley Lodge, a 245-room hotel near Yosemite Falls, has a travel advisory on its website stating: “If there is a shutdown, we will work closely with the National Park Service to provide operational updates and any impacts to our guests as soon as possible via email. If the park and concessioner operations are closed during the shutdown, a refund will be issued for any reservations impacted.”

Officials have been mum publicly on how parks will be affected if the federal government is shut down over the weekend. It’s likely an emphasis will be put on security and park sanitation if parks were to close or partially close given what happened during the previous shutdown in 2018-19.

Per the National Park Service’s release Friday morning, “the number of employees on site will vary.” Some parks may be staffed in limited capacity via arrangements with local officials “for donations to fund the full operation of an individual park site or of specified services that clearly benefit the park and public by providing enhanced visitor health, protection and safety.”