Long lines, dirty bathrooms, closed campsites await visitors: national park experts warn

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CALIFORNIA, USA - AUGUST 12: Tourists at Glacier Point as they look over Half Dome during sunrise in Yosemite National Park of California, United States on August 12, 2024. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

YOSEMITE, Calif. - From Yosemite to Joshua Tree, Sequoia, and Redwood national parks, millions of visitors flock to these world-renowned treasures located in California during the summer months.

And as Memorial Day marks the unofficial kick-off to the summer travel season, there are dire and mounting concerns about not only the deterioration of the visitor experience at national parks, but the dangers posed by the drastic cuts to staff in recent months.

"This is a crisis," said Don Neubacher, former superintendent of Yosemite National Park and an executive council member of The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a group made up of more than 4,100 National Park Service current, former, and retired employees as well as volunteers.

Neubacher warned visitors to be braced for possible issues, including long lines at entrances, closed campgrounds, dirty bathrooms, and overflowing trash bins.

"After all the chaotic cuts and hiring freezes, the quality experience that visitors have come to expect will be difficult to provide," the national park advocate said.

Dig deeper:

The coalition also said that the cuts put the health and safety of visitors at risk.

Experts noted that park rangers often serve as the first line of defense in medical rescues and other emergencies and are tasked with keeping trails and roads maintained and safe for visitors.

So, with fewer staff on hand, they warned of ill-maintained and potentially dangerous infrastructure as well as slow response times for emergency rescue operations.

"A poor visitor experience not only fails to uphold the mission of the NPS [National Parks Service], it will jeopardize the protection of these spaces for the future," said former superintendent of Channel Islands National Park and coalition executive council member Russell Galipeau.

Wildfire risks

National park experts said a major concern for the entire state of California was the heightened risk of wildfires as temperatures soar amid extremely dry conditions.

"The gutting of the federal workforce that cared for these places means that there are fewer National Park Service employees removing invasive species and reducing fire risk on an ongoing basis. And, when the time comes, there will be fewer people to serve as secondary fire-fighting support in national parks when needed," the coalition said in a news release.

By the numbers:

Figures showed that the number of visitors to national parks has surged in recent years, with a record-breaking 331 million people visiting last year.

In California, the coalition put that figure at more than 12 million, with national parks sites including Death Valley, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Redwood all seeing increases in foot traffic.

"Yet staffing at national parks has not kept pace," the coalition said.

Experts noted that even before the Trump administration's cuts, parks were operating understaffed and underfunded.

"The most recent wave of personnel and funding cuts in February targeted frontline staff and forced land management agencies to eliminate critical seasonal positions ahead of peak visitor season," the coalition said.

Last month, amid mounting pressure and criticism, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed national parks to "remain open and accessible." In an April 3 order, he stated that his department and the NPS "are committed to ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to visit and enjoy our Nation’s most treasured places."

But the coalition and other park advocates, including the National Parks Conservation Association, criticized the move, saying it was contradictory and impossible to implement the directive given the workforce reductions.

Critics said that the interior secretary's order ignores the realities of what is needed to safely manage national parks.

The coalition also slammed a proposed White House budget that's being deemed as one that would bring about the largest cuts ever to the National Park Service.

The group said that according to figures crunched by the National Parks Conservation Association, the proposed budget could lead to drastic closures of at least 350 national park sites nationwide, "effectively more than 75% of the national park system."

The other side:

In a statement to KTVU on Tuesday, the Department of the Interior shot back at the coalition, saying, "It's a shame that this group of former Interior employees are choosing to attack our Parks Service workers instead of championing their work to ensure our parks are ready for peak season. As these former employees know, every year there are a variety of factors that drive decisions about what’s open or closed in a park, from natural hazards to improvement and construction projects."

The federal agency went on to say that it is not uncommon to review staffing needs.

"This summer will be no different than other years, and as always, National Parks Service will continue to provide critical services and deliver excellent customer service while remaining committed to keeping access to national parks seamless, so that everyone can enjoy the beauty and wonder of these treasured landscapes across the country."

Beyond politics

The coalition said that politics should not play a role in the decisions affecting park operations and stressed that the effects of cuts to staff and resources will be consequential and long-lasting.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, Americans love their national parks," said Galipeau. "We’re supposed to manage these places for the enjoyment of future generations. Your children and their grandchildren should all make memories visiting our parks. But now, that future is in jeopardy."