When outdoor educator Andrew Snow arrived at the campground in Pinnacles National Park, California, in early October, he ran into a problem that highlights the impact of the government shutdown on national parks. The water from the campsite spigot was brown and smelled bad.
Snow, leading a weeklong program for 50 middle school students, said, “Hey, this water is brown. I’ve got photos of it, and it’s pretty gnarly. We’ve got to get water for these kids.”
The camp host explained that a maintenance worker usually flushed the lines every few days but hadn’t been by “because of the federal government shutdown,” Snow said. Following the host’s instructions, Snow and his group flushed the spigot themselves for about an hour. “Then wow, the water was much better,” he said.
Pinnacles an example of the impact of government shutdown on national parks
The shutdown has disrupted national parks nationwide, closing some entirely and limiting services at others. At Pinnacles, the western entrance is closed to vehicles, and visitors arriving there must hike long distances or drive around to the east side.
The campground, run by a private concessionaire, remains open. RVers and campers can still enjoy trails, cliffs, caves, and condors, but some have noticed subtle changes.
Allison and Paul Baur, traveling in their Airstream, found missing maps, limited Wi-Fi, and no cell signal. “There are no trail maps here, and there’s no cell service,” Allison said. “So today we headed out without having any map besides taking a picture of a sign.”
At Pinnacles, the bookstore was open but not taking cash and it was out of printed trail maps. “Large trail maps are posted throughout the park, and a digital version is available,” said Park Service spokesperson Elizabeth Peace.
Campground visitor Gary Bonetti, with his rescue Chihuahua, Mojo, said, “I have seen some people coming around in a car, so there is some minimal staff here.” He added, “I’m enjoying the sound of nothing and birds.”
Trash service has lagged. “This dumpster over here has not been emptied since last week,” Snow said. “Between two separate schools coming this week, we’re going to create a lot of trash.” Snow warned that leftover food attracts wildlife. “Raccoons are ravenous beasts. They’re truly relentless.” His group plans to haul their garbage out of the park themselves.
First responders still on hand
Even with closures, first responders remain active. When a hiker suffered a head injury on the trail, help arrived within minutes. “That was kind of cool to see firsthand that even though the government is shut down, first responders are there and ready to go,” Snow said.
For RVers and campers, Pinnacles remains open but different—quieter, lighter on staff, and missing a few comforts. A sign at the east entrance reads: “During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible. We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available.”
Sources include SFGATE
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RVT1232b
I regularly find brown, bad-smelling water at Thousand Trails parks, but that isn’t because of government shutdowns.
Just spent 6 months visiting all 15 national parks in the UK. No paper maps, limited cell service, no trash bins or dumpsters- everyone takes their garbage home, wonderful gardens, cafes and shops, all run by volunteers. Free entry, just pay to park. It works, the parks are spotless and beautiful.
When I visited my cousin in Australia, I was surprised how clean it was compared to America.
In the Blue Ridge mountains of Tennessee, the locals are taking care of these things, as volunteers at the NPs. In the Monterey/Carmel area of California, it appears that the locals are above volunteerism. More of a Cabernet sipping crowd with first world problems like a piece of cork in the Pinot is catastrophic and should be reported to the Park Ranger on duty.
Love it!
As always California bashing is alive and well! More rhetoric from the cultists.
How is that train project coming along? ….hahaha Buy a ticket yet….? Inaugural trip is scheduled for 2053 🤣🤣🤣 The transcontinental railroad was built in less time using horses, dynamite and sledge hammers..😅😂😅😂….
62,000 CDLs to illegals? Thats working out good, huh? 😂😅😂😅
Got water in the hydrants yet….?🤣🤣🤣🤣
So what prevented him from flushing the line on his own or did he have an agenda? Every time we camp, we flush the water line before hooking up.
The sky continues to fall……. oh my, I wish he could have come here for a drink of my well water! That light brown would have been a welcome site – the smell of sulfide not so much! That is the popularity of bottled water – and the other “sky is falling” election campaign about the Republicans poisoning the water….. remember that? With that said, it is a sad state of affairs in this country when our congressional members cannot honestly put together a budget a year in advance……… My late wife always said “….let me have their checkbook – I’ll balance it and they’ll live with the budget as well……” (She did a fantastic job with our home operations – and mine too!)
Why didn’t the camp host waddle on down and flush the lines? Lazy.
I’ve traveled to numerous national parks and have found the boxes for trail maps empty with no government shutdown. Also will not kill people to pick up after theirselves until this is over.