Government shutdown disrupts trips, recreation // The Sheet Newspaper

Jan 29, 2014 by

On the east side, the great outdoors is not only the reason many choose to live here, it’s also the economic driver (i.e. bread and butter) for the area. So it comes as no surprise that, locally, the partial closure of our national parks is the biggest fallout of the government shutdown, thus far.

Following a summer tourist season affected by smoke and road closures from nearby fires, the closures are another stab at an already open wound.

While gates in some parks may not be officially closed, amenities and services have been cut off in Yosemite, Devils Postpile, Manzanar and Death Valley. Roads such as Hwy 120 through Yosemite and Hwy 190 through Death Valley remain open, but only for passing through. Motorists are not suppose to stop or recreate in the parks, which means visitors who have spent months planning trips to these parks are now being turned around or told to leave. And all of this occurred on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Yosemite’s birthday.

Read the full story here.