Since 1916, the National Parks Service has managed and funded over 400 national parks, monuments and historic sites which are visited by millions of people every year.
On Nov. 5, 2025, the federal government shutdown reached its 36th day, officially making it the longest in U.S. history. The NPS was one of the federally funded programs affected, and although the parks remained open to the public, their employees, who had been suspended indefinitely without pay, were gone.
Although national parks remain open during government shutdowns, tourists should approach their visits with a different mindset than they normally would. With rangers and facility staff scarce, it is important for people to be more mindful of how their actions may impact the environment. While revenue would be lost if the parks closed during shutdowns, it could be the best way to keep local ecosystems protected and preserve their natural beauty.
In the absence of park rangers and other employees, many facilities closed and visitors’ actions were not supervised. This resulted in daily financial losses for and human-inflicted damage to the parks. If visitors continue to take advantage of the lack of ranger oversight to engage in activities that harm the natural environment during government shutdowns, the national parks should not remain open at these times.
The California State Parks’ website delivered its own biting critique of the shutdown’s effect on national parks.
“California is home to nine National Parks … where access and services may be impacted, along with devastating financial impacts to the businesses and communities that rely on tourism,” a banner across the top of the website read.
Without NPS employees on site, volunteers filled in; however, this still left the parks majorly understaffed. For example, Yosemite, one of the country’s most visited national parks, was being patrolled by only one volunteer ranger. In contrast, the park was staffed by over 500 employees during the same time last year.
This lack of adequate oversight at Yosemite led to an increase in dangerous and illegal activity including base jumpers returning to El Capitan for the first time since it was outlawed in national parks 40 years ago.
Visitors at many national parks were seen encroaching on wild animals and their habitats, ignoring posted signage and warnings about the dangers of doing so. This includes accounts of people taking motorized vehicles off-road into sensitive ecological areas and crowding wildlife.
Professor Erin Riley of the San Diego State University anthropology department weighed in on how visitors can better interact with the environment while still appreciating the beauty the parks have to offer.
“It’s okay to observe from a distance,” Riley said. “You don’t need to take a picture of everything. Observe it with your own two eyes and appreciate that [animals’] lives may be impacted negatively by our actions.”
Additionally, due to the lack of facility maintenance and oversight, many parks also saw an increase in overflowing trashcans and graffiti. One retired ranger visiting Arches National Park in Utah reported that rocks along one of the park’s most frequented trails had been spray painted. Due to the porous nature of these sandstone rock formations, experts predict it will take significant time and money to restore the vandalized rocks.
The National Parks Conservation Association provided a list of things to keep in mind when visiting the parks during a shutdown. These include preparing for uncertainty, staying safe by remaining on marked trails and following posted signage.
“There’s a lot of discussion about the effectiveness of signage and the extent to which people actually read it,” Riley said. “Then, if they do read it, whether or not they are actually incorporating it into how they act.”
Despite efforts to educate tourists on the do’s and don’ts of visiting national parks in the midst of government shutdowns and staffing shortages, there are still people who choose to interact with the environments within the parks in harmful ways.