Depleted national parks brace for summer surge

Multitasking staffers fear a push for more cuts could further undermine operations.

- JUSTINE MCDANIEL

THE WELCOME Center at Yosemite National Park, which eliminated its timed-entry reservation system.

BRONTE WITTPENN San Francisco Chronicle

When families flocked to Yosemite National Park during their recent spring breaks, some met two-hour waits at the entrance gates.

At a lakeside spot in the North Cascades in Washington state, there hasn't been enough staff to open the visitors center. And in Death Valley, water was shut off at two campgrounds.

National parks staff and advocates fear that such issues could only worsen this summer, as the park system faces the busy season with a dramatically reduced staff.

At Yosemite, concerns are compounded by the National Park Service's recent elimination of the park's timed-entry reservation system, which led to the long spring-break lines.

“We are definitely really nervous and anxious about the upcoming season, especially with the staff shortage we already have,” said a National Federation of Federal Employees union member at Yosemite who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

The National Park Service ice 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 an estimate by the National Parks Conservation Assn.

This month, the administration proposed cutting nearly 3,000 more positions in its 2027 budget. It also offered a recent new round of buyouts.

The push to cut the park system even further — ahead not only of peak season but also of America’s 250th birthday, which the Trump administration has promoted in relation to national parks — has underscored ongoing questions about how smoothly parks can operate as warm weather and summer vacations draw tourists.