ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — With the shutdown over, is it truly back to normal for Zion National Park and others in Utah?
The day after the president signed legislation to end the lengthy shutdown, what had been a free ride to get into Zion wasn’t on Thursday. Rangers were stopping cars and visitors at the gate to pick up the $20-30 entry fee once again.
Visiting from the UK, Emma Strong has been touring the national parks of the west from Rainer to Yosemite. But for the first time, she had to get out the wallet.
"We didn't have to pay [during the shutdown], so I guess that was good … and then today was the first day that someone was in there, so there was a bit of queuing," Strong explained.
Thanks to funds that mainly came in from the non-profit Zion Forever, with an assist from the state, the effects of the 43-day shutdown on Utah's national parks was minimal. While still a skeleton crew, the only thing noticeable in the last week or so was a smell from the Zion restrooms, indicating maintenance issues.
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No rangers or officials with Zion would speak on camera. Instead, providing a statement from the National Park Service that said, among other things, that “Parks remained open for visitors where it was feasible to do so safely, and most sites experienced little to no damage.”
However, Jayson O’Neill with the advocacy group Save Our Parks did not agree with the statement, pointing out recent graffiti discovered inside Arches National Park.
"We haven't done the full assessment. I mean, we just reopened government. We're like sort of ... holding our breath that we might have dodged a bullet here," O'Neill said.
O’Neill also took issue with a part of the statement that said the shutdown provided lessons on how efficient use of resources can keep the parks functioning. He says he fears a 30% reduction in park staff being proposed by the White House on top of DOGE cuts that took place at the start of the year.
"We're kind of relying on, you know, the pixie dust and fairies of good-hearted people," he explained, "and that just that isn't a long-term strategy.
"That was kind of the backup plan, so now the backup's gone."
In a statement of her own, Zion Forever CEO Natalie Britt said, “With fee revenue halted during one of Zion’s highest-use months, core operations have taken a hit. At the same time, Zion Forever has absorbed significant revenue losses of our own.”
For now, the concerns of O'Neill and Britt are matters behind the scenes. For park visitors during the shutdown, it was just about a visit, as usual, to the beautiful scenery. Jeff Laurion was in town from Florida and shared gratitude for the rangers who worked throughout the shutdown without pay.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Laurion repeated. "Because they continued working!"
