Yes, the government is still shut down. But if you look at the mass of people crisscrossing Zion National Park’s main visitor center, you might never know there’s federal gridlock.
There are signs, though.
A red sandwich board on the sidewalk asks tourists for donations to help cover lost funding. The park has fewer programs and rangers at the moment, too.
Morgan Williams, a Floridian visiting Zion for the first time, misses them.
“Being able to have those talks in the amphitheaters or campfire-side or just a ranger-led hike is a massive part of the experience,” Williams said. “And that's something we can't get right now, which is a bummer.”
Still, other National Park Service units have closed completely this month after Congress failed to fund the federal government. So, the fact that Zion is open at all is a relief to visitors, many of whom have planned their red rock getaways for months or years.
“When we were driving in, we were like, ‘Oh, the whole thing might be shut down,’” said Amanda Breslow, who came from Alaska. “We're just deeply, deeply impressed by what the staff has been able to continue doing.”
It has taken a lot for Zion to offer visitors that experience right now.
Many rangers who weren’t furloughed are working without pay, said Natalie Britt, CEO of the park’s nonprofit partner, Zion Forever Project.
“They do that for love of country, love of the park, love of this place and love of the visitors,” she said. “But it's a lot to ask when you don't know if you could put food on the table.”
Her organization put together an event where they’ll provide rangers with food and other necessities, such as diapers and baby formula.
Zion Forever has supported park efforts for nearly a century, but Britt said the current situation is uncharted territory. They’ve spent $27,483 printing things like maps and brochures that the park normally pays for, and another $15,296 to have extra help at the visitor info desk while the park’s staff is reduced. It also paid $6,419 to complete a program that brings underserved students from Nevada to experience Zion rather than sending the children home early.
“We have no concept of when the shutdown is going to end, and it isn't looking like it's going to happen soon,” Britt said. “So as those resources dwindle, we assess, and we keep putting money into the coffers where we need to. Can't tell you what it's going to look like every day, because we don't know.”
Zion Forever’s incoming donations have been well above average so far during the shutdown, but they estimate that hasn’t made up for lost revenue since the park gift shops they run, other than the Zion Canyon store, are closed.
The shutdown’s true cost
Historically, October is one of Zion’s busiest months. In 2024, at this time, the park welcomed more than half a million visitors.
At some points this month, Britt said, Zion saw nearly 20,000 visitors a day. But because of the shutdown, the park isn’t collecting entrance fees from them.
By her estimate, those lost fees mean the park has missed out on $1.5 million so far. That leaves a gaping hole in Zion’s budget that could stop the park from completing vital projects planned for the next year.
“When I hear somebody say, ‘Oh, I'm so glad I got in free.’ No, there's a big cost,” Britt said. “So, let's remember there's a cost to this shutdown, and that cost is your children and your grandchildren may not be able to see this park the way you saw it.”
Because of the DOGE cuts and firings that followed President Donald Trump’s inauguration in early 2025, Britt said the park had already been collecting less entrance fee revenue than in years past.
The state of Utah has also stepped in to help some of the federal funding gaps. Since Oct. 4, it has provided $8,000 a day to keep the visitor centers open at all five of the state’s national parks. That money comes from the budget of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
Even if the shutdown lasts into November, the state plans to keep sending it, said Utah tourism office spokesperson Anna Loughridge.
“I can say confidently that the state remains committed to continuing to support keeping our parks open, accessible and operating,” she said.
It makes sense, she said, not just for the sake of protecting the parks and keeping visitors safe but also in the interest of the state’s businesses. In 2024, national parks generated $3.1 billion for Utah’s economy.
A lot of that money goes to park gateway towns, like Zion’s neighbor Springdale. So far, Mayor Barbara Bruno said the efforts to keep the park open have paid dividends.
“Last week, it was absolutely packed. I had a hard time even pulling onto the highway from my subdivision,” Bruno said. “So, I don't think there's been any impact yet. But who knows what's coming.”
If the shutdown lasts much longer, she’s concerned visitors may decide to postpone trips and wait until the park has full services. That could really hurt the small town’s budget, which heavily relies on tourism spending.
She hopes lawmakers can find a way to reopen the government before it comes to that.
“Congress and the Senate have one job. They have one job,” Bruno said. “We don’t shut down our town. It's a ridiculous situation.”
As the shutdown drags into its fourth week, Britt with Zion Forever worries about long-term impacts.
Even as visitation has skyrocketed in recent years, the number of employees at Zion has gone down. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the National Park Service’s 2026 budget by more than $1 billion and wants to fire an additional 2,000 people from the Department of Interior.
With the shutdown now cutting off entrance fee revenue, it further exacerbates existing challenges for the already understaffed and underfunded national parks.
“Can you imagine asking one of our ski resorts to welcome 5 million visitors — to expect exceptional customer service, well-groomed trails, trash pickup, great food and service, visitor center operations — and say you don't have to pay?” she said. “That is not a sustainable model for any business. It is not the way we should be running our parks. America can do better.”
Until then, she said her organization is prepared to help keep Zion’s park services going.
