U.S. national parks closed


By Andrew Hudson Published: October 1, 2013 Updated: September 11, 2015

In a blow to landscape photographers, all U.S. national parks and most national monuments have been closed indefinitely.

“Due to a lapse in funding, the U.S. federal government has shut down. … Every one of America’s national parks and monuments, from Yosemite to the Smithsonian to the Statue of Liberty, will be immediately closed.”
— USA.gov, the U.S. government’s official web portal

UPDATE 10/11/18:
Yosemite and all other NPS locations have re-opened, as Congress has restored funding.

UPDATE 10/11/13:
Several locations re-opened with state funds:

  • National parks in Utah: Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Mount Rushmore
  • Grand Canyon
  • Statue of Liberty

A budget impasse in Congress has shutdown all non-essential federal work. In response, the National Park Service has closed all 59 national parks and 342 other national areas. Photography destinations not open to photographers include the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Statue of Liberty, and all the monuments in Washington, D.C.

“[T]he National Park Service will take all necessary steps to close and secure national park facilities and grounds. … Wherever possible, park roads will be closed and access will be denied.”
— U.S. Department of the Interior

“All 401 National Park Service sites, which collectively average about 715,000 visitors per day in October, will be closed, according to a park service spokeswoman.”
CNN, 9/30/2013

Closed national parks include:

  • Acadia
  • Arches
  • Badlands
  • Big Bend
  • Bryce
  • Canyonlands
  • Grand Teton
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Hawaii Volcanoes
  • Olympic
  • Rocky Mountain
  • Yellowstone
  • Yosemite
  • Zion

Closed national sites include:

  • Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Canyon de Chelly
  • Cape Cod
  • Devils Tower
  • Gettysburg
  • Golden Gate
  • Independence Hall
  • Lake Mead
  • Lincoln Memorial
  • Mount Ranier
  • Muir Woods
  • National Air and Space Museum
  • National Mall
  • National World War Two Memorial
  • National Zoo
  • Smithsonian museums
  • Statue of Liberty

Source: Wikipedia: List of National Park Service sites

Top Ten U.S. National Parks
(by visits)
ParkRankVisits
Blue Ridge Parkway116,309,307
Golden Gate National Recreation Area214,554,750
Gateway National Recreation Area39,431,021
Great Smoky Mountains National Park49,044,010
Lake Mead National Recreation Area57,601,863
George Washington Memorial Parkway67,009,630
Natchez Trace Parkway75,747,235
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area85,127,074
Lincoln Memorial94,678,861
Cape Cod National Seashore104,644,235
Source: Wikipedia

Sources: Wikipedia. Image credits: NPCA Photos/Flickr, NPCA Photos/Flickr.

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