National Parks Partially Open During Government Shutdown: What to Know

More than 9,000 park employees were furloughed at the start of the shutdown, and the effects vary depending on the national park site.

In an aerial view, park employees prepare to exit from the closed entrance of the Everglades National Park Shark Valley following the government shutdown in Everglades National Park, Fla., on Oct. 1, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The National Park Service’s 474 national monuments, memorials, and parks remain reliant on skeleton crews in the wake of the federal government shutdown.

Operational capacity of each site’s staff was reduced to an absolute minimum after thousands of employees were furloughed.