COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont.—Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, completed in 1933, weaves past meandering streams, expansive valleys, stoic limestone peaks and receding glaciers. Jeff Mow, Glacier’s former superintendent, knows the road’s spectacular vistas well, but this fall he used it to provide a glimpse into a much grimmer picture: how the federal government shutdown impacts national parks across the country.

“Parks aren’t designed to operate during shutdowns, you’ll never have enough staff, you can’t provide for visitor safety,” he said. “But if you have to have parks open, I think you’re gonna have to have partners to help do some of those things that might otherwise be inherently governmental.”

Mow’s words have proved prescient, with states and nonprofits stepping in to help

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