U.S. National Parks Will Close if There's a Government Shutdown

Summer trips through the USA’s national parks are a rite of passage. But what if someone told you they’re at their best a couple of months later?

Visiting Acadia National Park, located on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine, has been at the top of my dream destination list for years. It's also one of the busiest national parks in the country, with nearly 4 million visitors last year.

Death Valley National Park partially reopened over the weekend, welcoming visitors back to the park after its longest-ever closure.

The Grand Canyon wants travelers to stop leaving so-called “love locks” on fencing in the park, warning the trend endangers animals. 

Nearly a decade ago, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking that I should travel to the Grand Canyon solo — the first National Park on what would become a yearslong personal quest.

Skygazers in eight western U.S. states will be treated to a rare “ring of fire” eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14. With the moon covering all but the outer edges of the sun, it will briefly look as though there’s a blazing ring of fire igniting the sky.

Imagine waking up to gorgeous lake views surrounded by misty mountains and trees lining the horizon as far as the eye can see. That’s the magic of Jasper National Park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, where I recently spent a cozy retreat to welcome the fall season. Coming from the scorching heat of Phoenix, Arizona, my lungs craved the crisp morning air, while the desert girl in me relished and autumnal mountain hues — and I soaked it all in from the private balcony of an alpine lodge on the shores of Pyramid Lake.

Entrances to national parks will be blocked and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed if Congress doesn't reach a budget agreement this weekend, the Department of Interior said Friday.

Peak fall foliage is popping in Estes Park, the mountain town just outside of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. Soon, the elk will be bugling as part of their annual mating ritual, a wildlife spectacle that draws tourists to the mountain town for “Elktober.” Down in southern Colorado, the “ring of fire eclipse” is projected to pass directly through Mesa Verde National Park on Oct. 14, drawing tourists eager to catch the rare celestial event among the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.

A partial shutdown of the US government is looming and it could cause disruption for travellers across the country.

Tick, tick, tick. With just one day before the end of the fiscal year, Congress appears resigned to a federal government shutdown. Should lawmakers fail to pass a funding bill, travelers could feel the impact beginning at midnight on Saturday.

As the federal government inches closer toward a government shutdown, travel will remain largely the same for Americans if it indeed happens. However, in the event of a shutdown, travelers may feel the effects in various situations.