The U.S. government could shut down soon if a spending deal is not reached. If that happens, officials with the Department of the Interior are telling national parks to try to stay open in limited capacity. KNAU’s Justin Regan has more.
Each park has their own plan as to how to operate during a potential shutdown. Representatives with Grand Canyon National Park say the gate at the South Rim would remain open and emergency services would be available but scaled back. Some private services might be operational including restaurants and gift shops. But anything that requires park service staff would close. That applies to fee booths, campgrounds, agency-run buildings and culturally sensitive areas. During the government shutdown, in 2013, the park was closed for more than a week before the State of Arizona paid to re-open it. It ran on state money for another week before the federal government restored funding.
