Budget Rocky Mountain National Park, CO – Having trouble finding a restroom at some National Park Service sites this spring? You’re not alone.
Budget Visiting Utah’s Arches National Park? Some restrooms are closed. Heading to California’s Kings Canyon? Be sure it’s not a Tuesday. Stopping by Maryland’s Greenbelt Park? You’re out of luck.
Budget The closures come as a result of staffing shortages tied to budget cuts, buyouts, and layoffs across the National Park Service under former President Donald Trump. As a result, several national parks have shut down restrooms and visitor centers.
Although courts have reversed some of the February cuts, an estimated 2,400 to 2,500 staff positions have been lost, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group.
While Trump has announced plans to hire more seasonal workers this summer, park visitors are already experiencing intermittent staffing shortages, maintenance issues, and closed facilities.
Both visitors and park advocates are concerned that these closures, along with potential future ones, could alter how people experience national parks this year, likely keeping tourists closer to more accessible areas and away from remote locations. Park officials, however, remain committed to addressing the evolving needs of visitors and are confident that national parks will continue to be meaningful and memorable destinations.
Miglioretti and her husband, who relocated to Colorado two years ago after his retirement from the U.S. Navy, are regular visitors to national parks. With their retirement, she explained, they often visit parks like Rocky Mountain during the weekdays, avoiding the crowds.
She expressed hesitation about visiting these parks, knowing that her presence could add extra strain on the already overworked staff.
Staffing Shortages Have Forced Wildlife Biologists to Clean Restrooms
This has led to scientists, park rangers, and supervisors being tasked with cleaning restrooms. Burgum’s order stipulates that park officials cannot close restrooms or other facilities without direct approval from his office, removing that authority from park superintendents.
At Yosemite National Park in California, this means staff members from various departments—ranging from IT workers to archaeologists to wildlife biologists—have been called upon to assist with cleaning campgrounds and restrooms, according to sfgate.com.
“It’s not uncommon for staffing questions to arise or for staffing needs to change,” she said.
Conflict Between Reduced Staffing and Visitor Expectations
Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association stated that the staffing challenges in national parks stem directly from decisions made during the Trump administration.
“This is a problem they created,” Brengel said. “They can address some of it, but simply directing the park service to stay open isn’t going to magically generate the staff needed.”
Both Brengel and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar criticized Trump’s staffing cuts, noting the contradiction between those actions and his support for the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) during his first term. The Act, which allocated $1.3 billion over five years for improvements to public lands, including restroom upgrades at national parks, makes the staffing cuts seem illogical.
National parks have long struggled with maintenance backlogs worth billions of dollars, and the GAOA has been crucial in funding projects to repair and build park amenities.
“This funding is meant to fix our parks,” Brengel explained. How can they expect these assets to remain in good condition if they can’t even staff the parks to take care of them?”