ALL NEWS

Yellowstone and Grand Teton among the national parks closing immediately

Mar 25, 2020, 6:42 AM | Updated: Mar 26, 2020, 7:02 am

Yellowstone...

Yellowstone National Park is famous for its grizzy bear population. Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

(CNN) — Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks have closed to park visitors until further notice due to public health concerns, Yellowstone National Park announced in a statement.

Fearing the potential risk of exposure to novel coronavirus, officials had been continuously reducing public access to National Park Service sites across the country, while promoting social distancing for people who still visited the park sites that remained open.

Local and state officials in the areas surrounding the parks had requested that they close to the public.

State highways and roads that cross park or state boundaries and “facilities that support life safety and commerce will remain open” the statement said.

“The National Park Service listened to the concerns from our local partners and, based on current health guidance, temporarily closed the parks,” said Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly and Grand Teton Acting Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail in the statement.

“We are committed to continued close coordination with our state and local partners as we progress through this closure period and are prepared when the timing is right to reopen as quickly and safely as possible.”

The nation’s first national park, Yellowstone National Park is also its sixth-most popular national park, with 4 million visitors last year. It’s located in three states — Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Nearby Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming is the eighth-most popular national park, with 3.4 million visitors in 2019.

No national shutdown … yet

There’s no national shutdown of all 419 national park sites, which would cover more than 85 million acres of national parks, seashores, lakeshores, battlefields and more, in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several US territories.

But in its efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the park service — which welcomed more than 327 million people visiting NPS sites last year — seems to be grinding to a halt, at least for visitors.

While Zion, Acadia, Glacier and Olympic national parks had not completely closed to visitors as of Tuesday afternoon, others were heading in that direction.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country’s most popular national park with 12.5 million visitors last year, announced on its website it would close all park areas, with a couple of exceptions, through Monday, April 6, “in a continuing effort to support federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Yosemite National Park in California are also closed until further notice. Rocky Mountain is the third-most popular national park and Yosemite is the fifth-most popular.

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty were both closed effective March 16.

In Washington, the Washington Monument closed on March 14, along with Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, the Old Post Office Tower and Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument.

California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area announced a temporary closure effective March 16. In San Francisco County, that includes Alcatraz Island, the Presidio Visitor Center, Fort Point NHS, Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and Lands End Lookout.

In nearby Marin County, Golden Gate includes the Marin Headlands Visitor Center, the Nike Missile Site, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Muir Woods National Monument and all park campgrounds.

A huge economic loss

While most NPS sites don’t charge an entrance fee, visitors support regional economies surrounding the park sites. Visitors to the national park sites spent an estimated $20.2 billion in local gateway regions in 2018, according to a May 2019 park service report (PDF).

That created some 329,000 jobs, $13.6 billion in labor income, $23.4 billion in value added, and $40.1 billion in economic output. The lodging sector realized $6.8 billion in economic output, while restaurants received $4 billion in economic output.

North Carolina, which is home to the most popular national park and the second most popular park site, “gets more National Park Service site visitors than any state other than California,” said Wit Tuttell, Director of Visit North Carolina, in a previous CNN Travel interview.

With 18.2 million visitors annually across 14 different NPS sites, “It’s impossible to overstate the impact these sites have on all sorts of communities across our state,” he said.

“The NPS sites are the main reason people are visiting, which leads to $1.3 billion in spending and more than 20,000 jobs statewide, he added. “For many rural communities that are struggling to maintain their economic vitality, these sites are crucial to their ability to survive.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

All News

IRS texts are bogus. Picture shows a sign saying "warning, scam alert" on a keyboard...

Britt Johnson

Millions to be paid for Utah’s largest real estate scheme settlement

Over $10 million in refunds will go to victims of a Utah-based real estate scheme following the settlement of a lawsuit.

15 minutes ago

Outside of the Yale University Law School is pictured on September 27, 2018 in New Haven, Connectic...

Zenebou Sylla, CNN

Some New England universities, including Yale, break $90,000 barrier for total tuition cost in upcoming school year

(CNN) — Several New England universities and colleges, including Yale, have reached a pinnacle of at least $90,000 for undergraduate tuition and costs starting this fall. Yale University, Tufts University, Boston University (BU), and Wellesley College are among a few private institutions that will top this year’s costs for tuition, housing and other expenses, according to […]

8 hours ago

A West Jordan man was arrested Tuesday for investigation of negligent homicide after he allegedly t...

Pat Reavy, ksl.com

West Jordan man shot, killed best friend while trying to ‘be funny,’ police say

A West Jordan man was arrested Tuesday for investigation of negligent homicide after shooting his "best friend."

9 hours ago

FILE: Cedar High School in Cedar City is pictured on Wednesday April 7, 2021....

Tammy Kikuchi and Emma Keddington

Cedar High School grapples with mascot name, five years after it was changed

The Iron School District Board of Education is grappling with changing the Cedar High School mascot back from "Reds" to "Redmen." 

9 hours ago

Dairy cows across the country, specifically in Texas, Kansas and New Mexico are getting sick with a...

Alexandrea Bonilla

Cows across the country are getting sick with a “flu-like” illness

Utah is altering the requirements for livestock brought into the state after multiple cows across the country have gotten sick with a flu-like illness.  

10 hours ago

FILE: The bust of 30 pounds of fentanyl in American Fork on March 21 highlights the drug problem Ut...

Heather Peterson and Curt Gresseth

DEA warns fentanyl most deadly drug in U.S. and Utah history

The DEA said Utah is on pace to see double the amount of fentanyl this year than last.

12 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Mother and cute toddler child in a little fancy wooden cottage, reading a book, drinking tea and en...

Visit Bear Lake

How to find the best winter lodging in Bear Lake, Utah

Winter lodging in Bear Lake can be more limited than in the summer, but with some careful planning you can easily book your next winter trip.

Happy family in winter clothing at the ski resort, winter time, watching at mountains in front of t...

Visit Bear Lake

Ski more for less: Affordable ski resorts near Bear Lake, Utah

Plan your perfect ski getaway in Bear Lake this winter, with pristine slopes, affordable tickets, and breathtaking scenery.

front of the Butch Cassidy museum with a man in a cowboy hat standing in the doorway...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Looking Back: The History of Bear Lake

The history of Bear Lake is full of fascinating stories. At over 250,000 years old, the lake has seen generations of people visit its shores.

silhouette of a family looking over a lake with a bird in the top corner flying...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

8 Fun Activities To Do in Bear Lake Without Getting in the Water

Bear Lake offers plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy without having to get in the water. Catch 8 of our favorite activities.

Wellsville Mountains in the spring with a pond in the foreground...

Wasatch Property Management

Advantages of Renting Over Owning a Home

Renting allows you to enjoy luxury amenities and low maintenance without the long-term commitment and responsibilities of owning a home.

Clouds over a red rock vista in Hurricane, Utah...

Wasatch Property Management

Why Southern Utah is a Retirement Paradise

Retirement in southern Utah offers plenty of cultural and recreational opportunities. Find out all that this region has to offer.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton among the national parks closing immediately