National Parks Will Remain Mostly Open In Shutdown

The Trump administration will keep most national parks open to the public if the government shuts down Wednesday, according to two people briefed on the plan.

With congressional leaders still gridlocked on a deal to fund the government ahead of a midnight deadline, the majority of the National Park Service's roughly 16,000 employees are expected to be placed on furlough starting Wednesday. But the Trump administration would tap recreation fees to pay for skeleton crews of staff at many sites, said the two people who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plan.

The administration’s plan to keep most park locations accessible to the public echoes the strategy the first Trump administration used during a prolonged government shutdown in 2018 and 2019. The Interior Department's use of park fees to fund operations was later found to be unlawful by a Government Accountability Office legal opinion.

Conservation groups and former park leaders have urged the Trump administration to shutter parks if the government shuts down, saying it leaves the parks vulnerable to damage when there is insufficient staff to interact with the public.

Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who ran the department for part of President Donald Trump's first term, has defended keeping the parks open. "People can have access and the employees can be paid — and that's a win across the board," he said in 2023.

Bernhardt also noted that the Office of Management and Budget later determined the move was legal after the GAO ruling came out.

Park roads, trails and open-air memorials will mostly remain open to visitors under the shutdown strategy outlined to POLITICO’s E&E News by the two people briefed on the plan.

Parks that collect fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act would use that money for basic visitor services like trash collection, campground operations, law enforcement and staffing entry gates.

Parks without accessible areas would be mostly shut down during the government funding lapse with no visitor services — such as permitting, trash pickup and maintaining bathrooms — provided by the agency.

Generally, park buildings normally locked up at night, such as visitor centers, would be closed for the duration of the government shutdown under the plan, the two people said.