National parks brace for summer surge as Trump administration proposes more staff cuts

WASHINGTON— When families flocked to Yosemite National Park during the recent spring holidays, some encountered waits lasting two hours at the entrance gates. There are not enough staff to open a visitor center at a lakeside spot in Washington state’s North Cascades. In Death Valley, water was cut off in two camping areas.

National park staff and advocates fear such problems could worsen this summer, as the park system faces a busy season and staffing numbers are significantly reduced. In Yosemite, concerns were heightened when the National Park Service recently removed barriers in the park. timed entry reservation systemThis led to long spring break lines.

“We’re definitely really nervous and worried about next season, especially with the staffing shortage that we already have,” said a member of the National Federation of Federal Employees union in Yosemite, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

The National Park Service has lost nearly a quarter of its staff to buyouts, early retirements and other departures since the Trump administration took office last year. according to a guess National Parks Conservation Assn. This month management proposed closing nearly 3,000 more positions in the 2027 budget. It also recently proposed a new round of acquisitions.

The push to further pare down the park system (not just ahead of peak season but also ahead of America’s 250th birthday, which the Trump administration has promoted regarding national parks) has underscored ongoing questions about how smoothly parks can operate as warm weather and summer vacations draw tourists.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended his budget proposal on Capitol Hill last week, telling senators that the visitor experience at parks could be improved even as spending and staffing reductions were made.

He said the agency plans to hire 5,500 seasonal workers and asked Congress to approve funding for those employees to work nine months instead of six.

“All of this will help us streamline this situation, despite an overall decrease,” Burgum said Wednesday.

Democrats who opposed him on the spending proposal viewed him with skepticism.

“This is just a recipe for disaster,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told Burgum.

Cheryl Schreier, retired superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and president of the Coalition to Preserve America’s National Parks, said Congress will have the final say on proposed cuts, but in the meantime the current cuts created difficulties last season and appear likely to do so again.

Whether the parks will be able to find enough qualified candidates to hire the number of seasonal workers needed is also a “really big concern,” he said. “It’s really important to have all these individuals who can run a park well.”

The reduction in staffing has raised concerns about parks’ capacity for emergency response, natural landscape protection and custodial maintenance. Chance Wilcox, California desert director for the National Parks Conservation Association, said fewer rangers could mean fewer people to reach hikers who are dehydrated, stranded or lost, for example.

A park service spokesman said Friday that staffing decisions are made based on local conditions at each park and that the agency is “focused on ensuring parks remain open, accessible and safe for visitors.”

About 323 million people visit America’s national parks annually, according to the Department of the Interior. While heavy traffic can be expected in the parks, the decline in international tourism and the increase in gasoline prices have added additional uncertainties to the tourism industry this year.

The number of Canadians visiting the United States has decreased since Trump took office. According to the Canadian government – The number of Canadians traveling by car to the United States this March decreased by 35% compared to March 2024.

Ministry of Internal Affairs also set a new fee of $100 per person For non-Americans entering the 11 most popular parks, it’s a move to raise money for the parks, but it’s an extra inconvenience for Canadians and other international visitors coming across the border.

At Senate and House hearings on the Interior budget, Burgum presented his vision for a national parks system in which most employees would be required to work in a park and interact with visitors, saying he was focused on filling those roles rather than jobs in regional offices.

“Our goal is to get more people working in parks,” he told senators.

A Home Office spokesperson said the agency was “making high-priority improvements” across the system.

“Secretary Burgum was clear that resources should be prioritized to visitor services, public safety, maintenance, and projects that will improve the experience of the American people,” a Department of the Interior spokesperson said in a statement Friday.

Critics say the strategy shows a misunderstanding of how the 109-year-old agency operates. Wilcox said employees working in contracts, human resources, IT, communications and other organizational and administrative work are essential to keeping parks operating.

“If everything was facing the visitor or the front, the whole institution would collapse from behind,” said Wilcox of the National Parks Conservation Association.

The decision to discontinue the reservation system in Yosemite, as well as in Arches and Glacier national parks, is another part of Interior’s mission to bring more people to the parks. When announcing the policy in February, the park service said the concept was “designed to expand public access” this summer. Maintained the timed entry reservation system at Rocky Mountain National Park for peak season.

Visitors take photos while walking through Muir Woods National Monument on July 24, 2025 in Muir Woods National Monument, California.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

In addition to causing long lines, squeezing too many people into parks at once can harm the environment, said Don Neubacher, a retired Yosemite superintendent and member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, especially if people park their cars in natural areas.

“There will be mass chaos,” he said.

On a Saturday in late March, Jon Christenson of Coarsegold, California, went to the park with his 38-year-old son. He said they were surprised to encounter a two-hour wait to enter the park and at least a half-hour search for parking once they got through the gate.

“It was almost like Disneyland. It was really disturbing from a lot of people’s perspective,” said Christenson, 82. “It’s a little disturbing to see them open the floodgates and now it’s ruining everyone’s experience.”

The Yosemite union member said rangers there multitask and helped clean bathrooms last summer in the absence of custodial staff. Now they too are concerned about the potential for congestion.

The worker asked summer visitors to be patient: “People at the National Park Service… will be grateful for any compassion and empathy.”