Travelers planning spring vacations to national parks and monuments have been on edge for the past few weeks, as Congress continues to debate the federal budget. While an interim spending bill passed March 2, 2011 delayed the immediate threat of a government shutdown, it's only a stop-gap measure until March 18.
In a way, it's like 1995 all over again. Back then, the impasse between President Clinton and the Republican-dominated Congress led to a 27-day federal government shutdown that, among other things, forced the National Park System to close its 395 properties.
The National Park Service won't speculate about what will happen if a shutdown takes place, spokesman David Barna said in an interview. "We're watching, just like everybody else," he said.
But Barna, who was one of the few Washington, D.C.-based NPS employees who stayed on the job during the 1995 shutdown, shed some light on what happened the last time that the parks were forced to close:
- Chains go down on monuments such as the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, sites such as the St. Louis Arch and historic homes and buildings.
- Entrance gates to large national parks are closed. Anyone currently staying at the parks had 48 hours to leave.
- Open parklands, such as the National Mall or the Gettysburg National Military Park, which has larger roads running through it, remained open to passerby and drivers. Visitor centers in these areas were closed.
If you're planning a trip to the national parks in the next month or so, and are worried about a shutdown, here are a few tips:
Contact the concessionaire, not the park. Voice mailboxes are already filling up at some of the national parks, Barna warned. And the rangers won't be able to help if you have a reservation at a hotel or campground inside the park.
Xanterra runs hotels and restaurants in seven national parks, including the Grand Canyon South Rim, Death Valley, Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. The company will contact people with reservations through email or telephone if a shutdown occurs, according to a release posted on their website.
"We will work to reschedule your trip or refund your deposit." If your visit is interrupted by the shutdown and you can't use services that you've already paid for, Xanterra will refund the unused portion of the trip.
Seek out private museums. The Washington Monument may be closed. But did you know that Mount Vernon is private? So are the Spy Museum and the Newseum (although both have entrance fees). And of course, you could still see the famed cherry blossoms, even if the Jefferson Memorial is closed.
Research state and local parks. OK, so most state parks don't have the cachet of the national parks. But there are some gems in the state park systems: Walden Pond in Massachusetts, Assateague in Maryland (much of it, at least), Red Rock in Arizona, Hearst Castle in California. Or try a local experience, such as hiking up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. Having a few options in mind, just in case, may salvage your holiday.
Resist the urge to sneak in. Park employees aren't there for show; in the Western parks, rangers keep tabs on climbers, campers and hikers who are heading into the backcountry, Barna said. "We don't want people to get hurt and us not being able to respond."
Please don't blame the rangers. They are as unhappy about the shutdown as you are; probably more so because they aren't getting paid. Barna still remembers some of the heartfelt pleas that he received during the 1995 shutdown -- including one from a woman who had planned her nuptials on South Padre Island.
"Her wedding was collapsing around her," Barna said. "We couldn't do anything about it."
Travel journalist Chris Gray Faust dishes up travel tips on her award-winning blog, Chris Around The World (www.caroundtheworld.com). Join her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter or leave a comment below.
