With trees changing colors, October is normally peak tourist season for many parks in Virginia.
The federal government shutdown means 6 out of 10 employees at national parks are furloughed, according to a contingency plan published Tuesday by the U.S. Department of the Interior. That doesn’t mean parks will be closed. Similar to the last shutdown in 2018, public access to some parts of national parks will remain open.
At this time, most of the Blue Ridge Parkway will remain open, and so will gates into the Shenandoah National Park, including Skyline Drive, according to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and the Shenandoah National Park Trust.
However, many restrooms, visitor centers, garbage collection, and other services that require workers may not be operating. Visitor services that are operated or paid for by non-federal organizations may remain open.
Phil Francis is a former superintendent at the Blue Ridge Parkway, and during his 41 years with the National Parks, he saw several federal shutdowns. He warns that in the past, when parks remained open without enough workers, parks were vandalized, and emergency services for visitors was limited.
“Imagine if you had a house, and you left the doors unlocked, and you announced that no one was home,” Francis said. “That would make you pretty uncomfortable. And that’s sort of the same thing here with the parks.”
Francis is one of 40 former national park superintendents who wrote a letter to the Interior Department, saying there are risks to keeping parks open with reduced staff.
If you plan to travel, Francis and other park advocates urge visitors to pack out all trash and practice leave no trace principals.
“If you go, and we want you to come, please pack it in and pack it out, and take care of our parks,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “Treat it as you would your own home or your own front yard. Because it does belong to you.”
Most websites and social media operated by federal employees are not being updated regularly during the shutdown, so specific closure information might not be posted by the parks themselves.
To check closure information for the Blue Ridge Parkway, visit the Parkway's site, or look for updates from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
To check closure information for the Shenandoah National Park, visit the Shenandoah National Park Trust's website.
Francis said one distinction between former shutdowns and this one is that morale among park employees is very low. With President Trump threatening to permanently fire workers, there isn’t the same certainty that they will get their jobs back after the shutdown.
“It seems that our employees and employees at other agencies, are being used as a pawn. I think our employees are afraid they’re gonna get fired,” Francis said. “Whereas in the past, they knew that the odds were really good that they would be brought back on as an employee and that they would be paid for the time missed. But this time, that’s not so sure.”
He pointed to low employment numbers at the park service before the shutdown, due to job cuts and hiring freezes.
“Morale is low,” Francis said. When the public sees a park ranger or a volunteer or someone working in the park, I think it would be great to walk up and say thank you.”
There isn’t much information available at this time about which areas within the George-Washington National Forest will be closed. A notice at the top of their website (and all sites under the USDA) reads, “The Radical Left Democrats shutdown the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people.”
Virginia State parks remain fully operational and are unaffected by the shutdown.
- Shenandoah River State Park is close to Shenandoah National Park
Other state parks in Southwest Virginia that offer opportunities to see autumn colors include:
- New River Trail State Park
- Hungry Mother
- Claytor Lake State Park
- Douthat State Park
- Fairy Stone State Park
- Natural Bridge State Park
- Smith Mountain Lake State Park
We will continue to update this site, as more information becomes available from the National Park Service about park closures in Virginia.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
