National parks: visitors up, staff down

NY Times -   Soaring international airfares and other fallout from the war in the Middle East have many Americans looking to stay closer to home this summer, and the 433 National Park Service locations are looming large in those plans.

A summer travel industry forecast released last month by Expedia Group said that interest in national parks and other outdoor hot spots has spiked 65 percent over last year, and that seems to be bearing out: Last month was Yellowstone National Park’s busiest May on record.

Despite major staffing cuts and a 43-day partial government shutdown, more than 323 million people visited national parks last year, about 3 percent fewer than the record-breaking numbers logged in 2024. To accommodate the crowds, parks pulled workers from other duties to focus on visitor services.

This year, staffing remains sharply reduced, and some parks have scrapped their reservation systems, already leading to gridlock at popular sites. In addition, steep new fees for foreign visitors have caused confusion at entry gates, resulting in delays.