A federal shutdown of the Grand Canyon, one of the country’s most visited national parks, would upset both tourists and the state’s economy.
How likely is it?
Staff at national parks aren’t considered essential, so if Congress can’t agree on a budget package today, the federal government could close Grand Canyon or leave it unsupervised, as happened in 2018. The latter option would be preferable for northern Arizona merchants and visitors, clearly, and services might be enhanced with state money.
Gov. Katie Hobbs’s office has expressed concern about the looming shutdown’s effect but Hobbs hasn’t said yet what action she would take.
What did Arizona’s governor say about the shutdown?
Hobbs said during a shutdown threat in 2023 she was prepared to issue an executive order to provide the funds needed to keep the park open.
Hobbs’ spokesperson Liliana Soto released a statement saying Hobbs was “closely monitoring the potential federal shutdown and preparing for all eventualities.”
Have federal shutdowns closed the Grand Canyon in the past?
Yes. The park closed for 10 days in 2013 during a federal shutdown, turning away disappointed visitors. Rangers cited dozens of people for violating the closure.
Then-Gov. Jan Brewer finally agreed to have the state pay $93,000 a day to keep the park open.
The federal government also closed the park in 1995, sparking an attempted “bloodless coup” by then-Gov. Fife Symington, who took National Guard troops and state personnel to Grand Canyon, demanding the feds let the team take over operations for the park. The federal government refused and the park stayed closed until a budget agreement days later.
The park closed again during a second federal shutdown that year, but the state agreed to pay to re-open it. The federal government later reimbursed Arizona.
Were mountain bikers jailed during the 1995 closure?
Yes. During the 1995 closure, five men from Sedona violated the closure order and a rule against bicycling Grand Canyon trails when they rolled their bikes down North Kaibab Trail.
They were arrested, shackled and taken by helicopter to a federal jail cell. Each was fined and their mountain bikes were permanently confiscated.
What other national park closures could affect Arizona?
Arizona has several other national parks that could close during a federal shutdown and have done so in the past.
Those include Petrified Forest National Park, Saguaro National Park, Lake Mead and others.
A shutdown could also close national parks near Arizona including Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas and Zion National Park in Utah.
Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What would a shutdown mean for national parks in Arizona?