Parks Prepare For New Normal

After closing amid the coronavirus pandemic the National Park Service is testing public access at several parks across the nation, including two in Utah; but offerings and services are limited. Acting Park Service Director David Vela cautions that visitors should steel themselves for a ‘new normal’ that will not likely square with their last trip. “You may have facilities that aren’t going to be available,” Vela says, “but the park’s footprint will be.” At this time, parks are staffing up and will increase access as workers are in place to patrol trails and roads, host campgrounds and operate visitor centers and museums. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Cam Sholly told a virtual meeting of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce last week that he expects to release a plan “very soon,” with some twists. For instance, three of the five entrance stations are in Montana, which is still imposing a 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors, and he suggested that not every entrance will open at first. Meanwhile, Grand Teton National Park has not yet made a determination on when the park will begin the phased resumption of operations.

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