The government shutdown didn’t deter 26-year-old Nudrat Mahajabin from visiting Grand Canyon National Park earlier this month, even though the signs were clear: No entrance fees would be collected, the visitors’ center was closed and no park rangers were nearby.
“We had planned this trip a while back. So, there was really no going back,” she said. “I feel like a shutdown might not close the gates, but it does affect and impact the caretakers. And I guess that’s what worries me the most.”
While many tourists like Mahajabin are yet to be discouraged by the government shutdown, national park advocates and businesses are worried about the safety of national parks and tourism’s impact on the local economies that surround them if the congressional stalemate continues.
The shutdown, which congressional leaders do not appear close to resolving, has meant tourist destinations like the Smithsonian museums in DC are closed and 9,000 National Park Service employees are furloughed, impacting the operations of the parks. The Department of Interior is keeping many national parks partially open amid the shutdown, and some sites have gotten a boost from state funds.
In West Virginia, where tourists typically flock for hiking, white water rafting and s
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