Some of the most popular U.S. national parks have seen record numbers of visitors throughout the spring and summer, along with a 25% loss of staff due to funding cuts (which could reach more than $1 billion in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal ), hiring freezes until at least October, and mass NPS employee layoffs earlier in 2025—some of whom were later reinstated after lawsuits deemed the firings unlawful .

However, despite lowered staff and a surge in tourists, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued an order back in April mandating all parks to remain “open and accessible." The result? Strained national parks, staff doing more than ever with fewer resources ( like scientists cleaning toilets ), and the grim reality of long lines at entrances, as recently seen at Yellowst

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