The government shutdown National Parks once again. What does this mean for the your planned trip? It means that you should definitely contact the offices of the park to see if they are even open. It was stated by the National Park Service that they were going to try to keep more of the parks open but services would be limited. Unfortunately each National Park is handling the shutdown a little differently. Parks themselves may still be open to let you in. However, much of what they might offer will be closed.
Government Shutdown National Parks Affects
- Amenities
- Visitors Center
- Bathrooms
- Marianas
- Shops
- Rentals
- Visitor Activities (Tours etc)
These are some of the things that you should expect to not have access to if the National Park you want to visit is open.
Government Shutdown National Parks Safety First
Due to the shutdown and the effort to keep parts of them open visitors should be aware that normal safety services will not be available. Lifeguards, patrolling rangers, or other faculty that may normily monitor the safety of the park will not be there. So extra caution should be taken when venturing out. Especially in Colorado with the recent snows. You may not be made aware of avalanche dangers in a particular area. There may not be up to date ice information. And there certainly will not be extra rangers around to mount rescues or offer help if it is needed. So please if you plan on visiting a National Park during the government shutdown please take extra care to stay safe!
Take Action for Better Governing
Are you as frustrated about these situations as I am? There is no reason our government should shutdown. Ever. Contact your representative and ask them to compromise and work to find a middle ground in funding our government. Vote for representatives that keep the health and well being of our National and State parks at the forefront. These National Parks are our parks and we should be able to use them and count on them whenever we want to go enjoy America’s majestic beauty. The Government Shutdown National Parks might seem like a small issue in the larger scale of things, but it is a symptom of the threat to our country. Please speak up and take action to protect the National Parks and the country we all love.
For more information visit the official National Parks website: https://www.nps.gov
Take action using this great website to find your representatives and contact them: https://5calls.org/
