Most national parks in the U.S. will close to the public in the event of a government shutdown, the Department of the Interior said Friday.
A major exception will be in Utah, where officials said the state will use its own resources to keep five national parks open.
The Department of the Interior said in a bulletin that at national park sites across the country "gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety."
Interior said that visitors should expect that many of the services and facilities at national parks will be closed or largely unavailable during a shutdown and that the number of employees on site will vary. "Parks will not provide regular road or trail condition updates," the agency said.
Some parks, such as the National Mall in Washington, D.C., cannot be physically closed down and will remain open but staffing levels and services including restroom, trash collection and emergency operations "will vary and are not guaranteed," the agency said.
In Utah, the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity will dedicate $5 million "to ensure the state's Mighty Five National Parks remain open, despite the government shutdown," the state's tourism office said.
The funds will cover services at Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion and Capitol Reef, including visitor centers, permitting, trash pickup and bathroom cleanup. Discussions are also underway with the Department of Interior to ensure plans are in place for shuttle operations in Zion and Bryce Canyon.
"Our first priority is watching out for visitors who have traveled from all over the world to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences," said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism said. "We are also mindful of communities that rely on the visitor economy, and of course, protecting the natural environment of these beautiful places."
The NPS said it will continue activities "necessary to protect life and property," such as law enforcement and emergency response, border and coastal protection, and monitoring of fires, the bulletin said.