What to know about national park layoffs and potential closures

In mid-February 2025, amid reports that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration planned to fire thousands of National Park Service and Forest Service workers, social media users began spreading rumors about how the layoffs could potentially affect the parks. 

Numerous Facebook users claimed that parks will, or are likely to, be closed during the summer. One post, which said that "National Parks will likely be forced to close over the summer because Elon Musk cut thousands of U.S. Park and Forest Service workers," had amassed more than 82,000 reactions and 21,000 shares as of this writing. 

Others claimed that national parks are already closed ahead of the summer — either entirely or on certain days — or that the parks' visitor centers are closed due to understaffing. Snopes readers also asked whether National Park Service employees lost their jobs or if "probationary employees" were fired. One reader asked whether Trump planned to shut down national parks and if staffing shortages would cause park closures. 

In short, the Trump administration has reportedly decided to reinstate job offers to 5,000 seasonal park service workers — after initially rescinding those positions — and will allow the NPS to hire 7,700 temporary employees in total in 2025. However, another decision to slash thousands of permanent NPS and Forest Service employees remains in place as of this writing.

Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the NPS, said via email that "no National Parks are expected to be closed this summer over staffing concerns." However, park rangers and advocates have warned that visitors may experience substandard service, reduced hours or days at visitor centers and "complete closures of some parts of parks." 

Peace touted the administration's decision to hire more seasonal workers and said the Department of the Interior is "focused on ensuring that every visitor has a chance to explore and connect" with the parks while ensuring it is "prioritizing fiscal responsibility for the American people." She added: "As always, NPS will continue to provide critical service and deliver excellent customer service." 

The NPS cares for more than 400 national park sites in the U.S. The Forest Service — overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — manages about a quarter of federal land and provides assistance to state, private and tribal forestry agencies. 

The Department of Agriculture and the White House have not responded to requests for comment as of this writing. 

Seasonal worker layoffs reversed

On the day of his inauguration — Jan. 20, 2025 — Trump issued a memorandum announcing a hiring freeze "on the hiring of Federal civilian employees." The memo read: "No Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law."

The order did not exempt the NPS, so the agency reportedly rescinded job offers to 5,000 seasonal workers for the summer, historically the national parks' most popular visitation time. This prompted Democrats to raise alarms; Senate Democrats and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine sent a letter on Feb. 7 urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to "immediately reissue seasonal employment offers for the National Park Service." 

According to the Association of National Park Rangers, seasonal workers "are often more than half of park workers during the busy season." 

However, by mid-February, the Trump administration appeared to reverse its decision amid public outcry. The Department of the Interior declined to comment on how many NPS employees were hired or rehired. However, the events were covered by reputable news media outlets including The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, which reported that a "memo sent from the Department of Interior to park service officials said the agency could hire 7,700 seasonal employees this year, up from the roughly 6,300 who have been hired in recent years."

Layoffs for permanent employees still in effect 

Meanwhile, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization for the country's national parks, the Trump administration will terminate 1,000 permanent NPS employees who were still in their probationary period, which for federal employees typically lasts one year (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter). 

The ANPR said that on Feb. 14, supervisors notified the affected employees that the deputy director of the NPS, Frank Lands, issued a memorandum about eliminating their job appointments. The association provided a copy of the memo, confirming the layoffs. Bill Wade, executive director of the ANPR, said via email: "All got exactly the same memo except for their personal information included."

According to the memo, the employees were laid off because they "failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment because [their] subject matter knowledge, skills, and abilities do not meet the Department's current needs." Some fired rangers disputed this and said they received positive performance reviews prior to the layoffs. 

The Trump administration also reportedly laid off 2,000 Forest Service probationary employees, although the union representing them said at least 3,400 were laid off, according to reputable news media outlets like ABC News (the union did not return a request for comment as of this writing). 

As of Feb. 25, the president's team had not announced a reversal of this decision, although The Associated Press reported that two anonymous sources told the publication the park service was restoring 50 jobs to "help maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and collect admission fees." However, Snopes was unable to confirm this due to the sources speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Senate Republicans also struck down a Feb. 20 amendment, added to a budget bill by Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, that would have reinstated "the fired Federal employees at the Forest Service, National Park Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management." The vote split almost entirely by party lines while both independent senators and GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted in favor.

The NPS had approximately 20,000 permanent, temporary and seasonal employees before Trump's second term, according to its website, whereas the Forest Service had nearly 30,000 employees as of Jan. 20, 2025.

Impact on parks 

The NPCA warned that the cuts will "leave parks understaffed, facing tough decisions about operating hours, public safety and resource protection." Theresa Pierno, president of the association, said in a statement that the group is "concerned about smaller parks closing visitor center doors and larger parks losing key staff including wastewater treatment operators." 

The ANPR also released a statement painting a picture of possible impacts, which include potential partial closures (emphasis below ours): 

Visitors are likely to experience reduced hours or days — and even closures — of visitor centers and other public-use facilities. Ranger-led educational programs will be reduced or eliminated. Trash and litter may accumulate, and restrooms will be dirtier because of reduced maintenance and fewer custodial workers. There could even be complete closures of some parts of parks to protect visitors and those park resources.

Even the decision to fire seasonal workers, while reversed, will affect the parks, the ANPR said: "The delays in restarting hiring means most of those chosen are likely to begin work well after the summer visitor surge has begun. Many will have missed the pre-season training needed for them to offer the service quality the visiting public should expect." 

The NPCA noted in a Feb. 4 post that national parks faced understaffing even before the Trump administration's cuts, with staffing levels down 20% since 2010 despite visitation increasing by 16%.

Some parks announced reduced services or hours amid the cuts, although it is not clear which of these announcements, if any, are a direct consequence of the layoffs. For example, the Facebook page of Saguaro National Park in Arizona announced on Feb. 20 that visitor centers would be closed "until further notice," while on Feb. 14, the Facebook page of Yosemite National Park in California said it had halted reservations for five campgrounds. Likewise, a Feb. 20 post on the Facebook page of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado said that "due to a lack of staffing," the monument will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

However, this is not a comprehensive list of closures. The NPS keeps a running list of active alerts in its parks, including closure notices, on its website.