Status of national parks during coronavirus pandemic


ACADIA: The Park Loop Road, carriage roads and most hiking trails are open. You’ll need to buy an entrance pass online and print it before you go. Campgrounds are closed; the Jordan Pond

House Restaurant is open for takeout only. The park asks visitors to “adjust their expectations,” practice social distancing and “not rely on park staff to ensure their protection from

contagious disease.” Again, note that Maine has a two-week quarantine rule. GRAND CANYON: The East Entrance to the park is closed due to COVID-19 lockdowns for the neighboring Navajo Nation,

so you’ll need to enter through the South Entrance. South Rim shuttle buses are running with limited service, ranger programs are canceled, and most visitor centers and museums are closed.

The Grand Canyon lodges, including the popular Bright Angel and El Tovar, are all open.       YELLOWSTONE:  Since June, the park has tested nearly 1,500 asymptomatic employees for COVID-19

and the results have all been negative, park staff announced in August (two symptomatic employees tested positive in July and have since recovered). Officials plan to continue testing

employees. Yellowstone is also testing its wastewater system for signs of the coronavirus. Both the Wyoming and Montana entrances are open, as is the big loop road connecting visitors to

major sites such as Old Faithful. Most lodges, campgrounds and cabins are open. Restrooms, gas stations and trails are open as well, as are certain visitor centers and stores. Backcountry

camping is now allowed and food service is “grab-and-go.” YOSEMITE: To reduce crowding, Yosemite is allowing visitors to drive into the park only if they have reservations (even for those

who have annual or lifetime passes). It’s accepting 3,600 vehicles a day, about half the number it welcomed in June 2019. You need a wilderness permit for backpacking (see information here

on obtaining a permit). Upper Pines Campground (at 50 percent capacity) is open, as are Yosemite Valley Lodge, Curry Village and the Ahwahnee. Roads, gas stations, restrooms and most trails

are open, though the park asks hikers to keep their distance from others. Visitor centers are closed, only some food service is available, and there are limited ranger programs. WHAT ABOUT

NATIONAL MONUMENTS, BATTLEFIELDS AND SEASHORES? NPS manages 419 sites — from national parks to national seashores — and 224 were completely closed due to the pandemic, according to the

National Parks Conservation Association. NPS largely closed locations that attracted crowds in confined spaces, such as the Washington Monument, which remains closed. Others have partially

reopened. The Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island is open, though some portions remain closed (guests cannot, for example, access the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal and

crown). Alcatraz Island is open, though the buildings are closed: Visitors can only walk the grounds. The Pearl Harbor National Memorial reopened on July 10, but it closed again on Aug. 27

due to a stay-at-home order on the island of Oahu.