America’s national parks are some of the most popular travel destinations in the country, drawing more than 325 million visitors on an annual basis. Most come to take in the natural beauty and historical significance of these places, which are among the most iconic locations in the entire country. But thanks to a series of budget cuts and staff layoffs by the Trump Administration, these places are now facing new challenges which could have a major impact on how they operate.
On February 14, more than a thousand National Park Service employees lost their jobs as part of sweeping staff cuts across the entire government. Among those who were let go were park rangers, wildlife and land management specialists, administrators, and other important personnel. Those were all full-time employees of the NPS, many of whom had years of experience in the parks.
Additionally, when President Trump took office for the second time in January, he immediately instituted a hiring freeze across all governmental departments and agencies. That order put an immediate halt on the Park Service’s annual hiring spree, which is used to find thousands of seasonal workers ahead of the start of the busy summer travel period. Thankfully, the NPS was given the go-ahead to resume that process and has even been given permission to hire additional staff this year. But delay in hiring may make it difficult to fully staff the parks this year.
So what does this all mean for anyone planning to visit the national parks in the months ahead? While we’re still sorting through just how the loss of permanent staff and the delayed hiring of seasonal workers will impact the Park Service, it is already becoming clear that it will change our experience in the parks in some dramatic ways.
Image Courtesy of Dustin Montgomery/Shutterstock
Long Lines, Delays, and Closures
Provided the hiring process goes according to plan over the next few months, and the National Park Service can hit its staffing goals, it should have even more seasonal staff than in the past. But the lack of experienced full-time employees will still be a challenge, as the NPS was already understaffed before the latest round of cuts and layoffs. Simply put, seasonal hires won’t be able to replace the highly trained rangers and administrators who have been let go, which will likely lead to a lack of services, potential maintenance issues, and possibly safety concerns.
Some of the parks are already starting to adapt to these changing conditions. For instance, Arizona’s Saguaro National Park is closing two of its visitor centers on Mondays, while Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa will close its lone visitor center two days a week. Some parks are also cancelling ranger-led hikes and tours, along with camping reservations. On top of that, some travelers planning a trip to Gettysburg were even notified that their reservations to a lodge on-site were cancelled, too.
One of the more high-profile examples of the Park Service’s current struggles is the delay in opening reservations to camp in Yosemite National Park this summer. The park announced that it was holding off on accepting reservations for the Upper Pines, Lower Pines, North Pines, Wawona, and Hodgdon Meadow campgrounds, indicating that those planning to stay at those locations between June 15 and July 14 would be impacted.
Yosemite officials also removed the requirement for an advanced reservation time for entering the park. In recent years, those reservations helped stagger the number of people entering at any given time, keeping crowds and traffic jams to a minimum. The reservation system was set to become a permanent fixture, but now those plans are on hold. That will likely mean a very crowded experience for visitors this summer.
Based on preliminary reports, it seems most parks are figuring out ways to keep their basic infrastructure and facilities open to the public. But because some of the job cuts include maintenance crews that work on the trails, it is possible that some hiking routes could be closed for extended periods of time. Without enough staff to clear downed trees or fix trails washed out by rains, some parts of the parks may be closed for extended periods. There will be fewer trained medical staff, as well, which could be problematic when dealing with injuries and accidents that occur on-site.
Seasonal employees will pick up some of the work load and most campgrounds are expected to be open once the parks are fully staffed. Still, if your plans include camping in a national park this year, you’ll want to check to make sure the campsites are open and make your reservations well in advance.
Image Courtesy of SeanPavonePhoto/Getty
Long-Term Outlook
While the short-term impact of the national parks budget cuts and staff layoffs is concerning, the long-term impact could potentially be devastating. Many of the staff members who were let go played crucial roles in protecting the natural environment, managing wildlife, maintaining infrastructure, and so on. Those were demanding jobs even before the recent changes. Now, they’re likely to be near impossible or will just get dropped altogether.
Less money and fewer people will change the parks in some fundamental ways that could alter the visitor experience dramatically. Some services (like tours, seminars, and guided hikes) are likely to go away, campgrounds may be closed, infrastructure could fall into disrepair, and the parks will almost assuredly become more dangerous. Most locations only had a handful of medical or search and rescue staff to begin with. Now many of those people are gone, making it more difficult to find a lost hiker or provide first aid to those who are injured on park grounds.
The hiring freeze and layoffs have also had an impact on the US Forest Service, which manages a large team of firefighters across the country. Those men and women are brought on to handle the increasing number of fires that spring up on public lands—including national parks—each year. For 2025, the Forest Service says it is way behind in its process of hiring seasonal firefighters, meaning it may not be fully staffed and trained should wildfires break out in national parks and forests.
Of course, we also don’t know what future budget and staffing plans look like just yet. It is possible that the current administration could alter funding and hiring plans in the future, and the challenges being faced this year are temporary. Under the Biden Administration, more resources were set aside for the National Park Service to help modernize infrastructure and address a backlog of issues. Those plans are now in flux, but they could be restored after the current budgetary review is complete.
Photo Credit: Getty
Summer Travel: Plan Ahead, Be Flexible and Patient
Despite all of the doom and gloom currently surrounding the National Park Service, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the national parks remain some of the best places to visit in the US. That won’t change in the short term, and if you were planning to visit any of the parks this year, you should stick with those plans. Just expect potentially longer lines coming and going, and at visitor centers, onsite restaurants, and other places. You probably won’t see as many park rangers, but seasonal staff will do their best to provide a great experience.
If you’re looking to camp in a national park this year, check availability online and book your sites early. recreation.gov is still the best place to do that, with the most up-to-date information on availability, opening and closings, and amenities found at the campgrounds. It is a resource that can make finding and booking your stays much easier, especially with uncertainty ahead.
As with everything related to government spending, budgets, and staffing, this is a quickly evolving story. For the latest updates, check the National Park Service’s website for the individual parks you plan on visiting. Those webpages should offer insights into hours of operation, which facilities are open, available tours and other events, and more.
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