Yellowstone to dip into fee revenues for minimal services
Yellowstone National Park staff will turn out starting Sunday to provide additional basic services during the ongoing government shutdown.
Staff plans to collect trash and clean bathrooms across the park. Park concessionaires, partners, and local community groups have been performing those services since December 22.
Entrance stations will be staffed (except Northeast) and the Madison Warming Hut will be staffed to provide safety information. Fees will not be collected at the entrance stations.
Crews will also remove snow at Canyon overlooks to provide better visitor access and improve safety.
The basic services will be funded by the park’s recreation fee revenue, as outlined by the Trump Administration’s recent order. While basic visitor services have been restored, other services and facilities, including visitor centers, remain closed.
The park will continue to provide services that have been in effect since the shutdown began:
The road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs to the Northeast Entrance at Cooke City, Montana, is open to wheeled vehicle travel. Visitors can access all the commercial services along this route. Visitors can also access commercial services in the interior of the park via oversnow travel (e.g. at Old Faithful). The park extends a special thank you to the concessioners, especially Xanterra Travel Collection, who have made donations enabling NPS staff to groom roads and allow oversnow access to continue. Guided snowmobile and snowcoach trips with commercial operators are allowed. Previously permitted non-commercially guided snowmobile trips are also allowed (new permits are not being issued). Park staff are providing emergency services and law enforcement. All park regulations, including those regarding oversnow travel, are in effect as normal.
The park’s website and social media sites are not being maintained.
If conditions become unsafe at any time, roads or developed areas may be closed.
