National Parks May NOT Be Open This Year

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipro33 I remember back in the 70's, 75 I believe, when the federal budget was delayed. I was in the military. We were not furloughed until a budget was passed and I remember not getting a paycheck either. I gotta ask, if your private employer said payroll was gonna be delayed would you not show up for work until it was rectified or would you take the IOU until you could get paid?

I w*rked with my brother in the middle 70s. There was no set pay, we divided up what the pay was with some money for fuel. We were a little flush one week and I received some extra cash. That week something broke and caused an unexpected expense. When I got my wallet out of my car that evening all the cash was gone.

I know some folks who taught at a trade school. The owner was under investigation and having cash flow issues. Their paychecks started to bounce, followed by a promise of an IOU. All that ended when he was arrested for student loan fraud.

However I can truly empathize. Family is one thing, getting conned by a con is another. It would stink worse in a real organization.

[Potstickers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG That's great. What else could you ask for? We were in Estes Park when RMNP closed for the season. IIRC the exact date was a little subject to change due to weather. The parks are great and a bargain.

Just to clarify - Rocky Mountain National Park is open year-round. Trail Ridge Road, which connects the east side of the park (Estes Park) to the west side (Grand Lake) over an 11,000 foot pass gets closed every fall and reopens in late May or early June after they've plowed out the 15+ feet of snow.

Both sides of RMNP are beautiful to visit in the winter!

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley I was planning to camp in George Washington National Forest during the last shutdown. I got to the fire road leading to my camping area. There was a sign on the chain across the road saying it was closed due to the budget shutdown. I drove around the chained road (4WD), met my friends at the top of the mountain, and had an excellent weekend. It's hard to close a forest. I've been camping there for over 30 years and have never seen a ranger, so no big deal.

That was like during the partial government shutdown, the government "closed" the WW2 memorial which is an open air memorial on the Washington DC mall. They actually put up barricades to "close" it, and prevent people from walking into the memorial, as was always possible. The dozens of veterans there who had traveled distances to see the memorial, some with canes, walkers, or wheel chair were to be shut out. It was kind of a stunt.

They got in anyway. Seems the Germans and Japanese did not stop them, so a few barricades did not fend them off at all.

I think the parks will be open as usual.

[hesperus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Montecfo The dozens of veterans there who had traveled distances to see the memorial, some with canes, walkers, or wheel chair were to be shut out. It was kind of a stunt. They got in anyway. Seems the Germans and Japanese did not stop them, so a few barricades did not fend them off at all.

It may or may not have been a stunt. I can't speak for the WW2 memorial itself, but in Parks I've worked in there are often liability issues when a park (or area within) is closed. They want to prevent someone from either stupidly hurting themselves or damaging the resource.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hesperus It may or may not have been a stunt. I can't speak for the WW2 memorial itself, but in Parks I've worked in there are often liability issues when a park (or area within) is closed. They want to prevent someone from either stupidly hurting themselves or damaging the resource.

You would think the Feds would pass a law that they cannot be sued, like the Queen and Canadian gov't has done.

Besides, even when the parks are open people are routinely "stupidly hurting themselves or damaging the resource."

[Hershey102]

A misleading subject line which I suppose is to get visitors to read the post. Nowhere in the NPS quote does it say that parks may be closed.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teacher Terry I hope it gets worked out soon. We have been to some of the national parks and they are so beautiful. I have not seen Glacier but want to.

Better hurry, according to Wikipedia, scientists that study the glaciers in the park suggest that all of the glaciers may be gone by 2030 based on current climate changes.