A National Park Service law-enforcement ranger inspects the grounds of Scotts Bluff National Monument in Scotts Bluff, Neb. on Sept. 24, 2025 after the area had closed for the day.

The federal government has partially shut down after Congress failed to reach a deal to extend funding past Sept. 30, and that's impacting some national park operations.

In general, national parks are expected to remain open, but visitors services will vary widely.

"The Department of the Interior will keep critical services open and running for the benefit of the American people," an Interior Department spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement.

Some national park advocacy groups are calling for parks to close entirely, for the time being.

According to newly published contingency plans on the Department of Interior's website, "park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors."

Parks that are accessible and that collect fees under the Federal Lands Recreation EnhancementAct are to use balances from those fees to keep providing visitor services like restroom and road maintenance, trash collection, campground operations and "staffing entrance gates as necessary to provide critical safety information."

Parks without accessible areas will ceased NPS operations and no visitor services will be provided, though essential activities like law enforcement and emergency response, border and coastal protection, and ensuring power production will continue, according to the plan.

Also, facilities or areas that are typically locked or secured during non-business houses will largely remain so during the shutdown.

The non-profit National Parks Conservation Association, however, would rather parks close all together during the shutdown, expressing concern that keeping them open "would leave our parks understaffed and vulnerable, putting our most cherished places and millions of visitors at risk."

The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, which is comprised of current, former, and retired parks employees and volunteers, and Association of National Park Rangers, similarly warned: "In past shutdowns, national parks have experienced destruction of iconic resources, widespread accumulation of trash and related habituation of wildlife, human waste on trails due to closed restrooms, vandalism of property, and destruction of habitat from off-road vehicle use." They're also calling for parks to to close amid the shutdown.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are national parks closed? What to know during the government shutdown

Reporting by Eve Chen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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