(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Zion National Park, on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
Utah's national parks have stayed open this week despite the federal government shutdown, but some visitors have navigated the red rock landscape without the usual help from park rangers.
The visitor center was closed in Arches National Park on Thursday, and rangers there told parkgoers they could only provide info on fire safety, according to reporting by The Times-Independent.
Visitors may have better luck accessing information soon, though. The state of Utah is stepping in to keep national parks open, including visitor centers, which act as central hubs of information.
The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity is dedicating funds to cover visitor center costs in Utah's five national parks, as well as Cedar Breaks National Monument, according to a Friday news release.
"Utah's National Parks will remain open," said Natalie Randall, director of the Utah Office of Tourism and Film. "We are committed to supporting visitors in planning and preparing for their best trip to Utah, preserving our parks, and ensuring Utah communities and businesses that rely on national park visitation are supported."
The National Park Service has estimated that it costs $8,000 per day to operate visitor centers at Utah's five national parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument, according to a statement from Randall. "This is a fiscally responsible decision and we will continue to evaluate, as national parks visitor centers serve as an essential hub for visitor safety, sanitation, and public security," she said.
(Lizzie Ramirez | The Times-Independent) Visitors at Arches National Park wander outside of the closed visitors center on Thursday, Oct. 2.
This week, only two of Utah's national parks, Zion and Bryce Canyon, kept visitor centers open, according to Tiffany Stouffer, director of development for the Zion Forever Project.
"Here in Zion, really the only reason that visitor center was open is because the Zion Forever Project has stepped up, and we are helping pay to keep that building open while we wait for state funds to come in and support," Stouffer said.
Earlier this week, Zion's nonprofit partner put signs up near the visitor center and throughout Springdale asking for donations to keep the visitor center open as they waited for state funds.
Keeping visitor centers open not only helps parkgoers access basic information but also increases safety. Zion National Park has a wilderness desk in its visitor center where visitors get permits for backcountry adventures. That information helps guide search and rescue efforts if emergencies occur. "If we don't have folks getting those permits ... it exponentially increases the impact on our search and rescue rangers," Stouffer said.
The federal government shutdown is happening during a popular tourist season for Utah's national parks as temperatures cool and the leaves on cottonwood trees turn yellow. On average, more than 1.1 million people visit Utah's national parks throughout October, according to the Utah Office of Tourism. Last year, parkgoers contributed $3.1 billion to the state's economy.
For those visiting Utah's national parks during the shutdown, the state's tourism office is providing regular updates on the Visit Utah website.