Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the countrys most popular national park — and its not even close. With more than 12 million annual visitors, it sees more than double the 5 million yearly visitors to Zion National Park, which takes up a distant second place.

　　So, its no small thing that less than half of Great Smokys campgrounds are currently open for reservations. After losing a dozen staff members in President Trumps mass layoffs, six of the parks 10 campgrounds are now closed, according to the park website. Some still havent been repaired after damage from Hurricane Helene, while others have been shuttered without explanation.

　　Those with spring reservations for the campgrounds will receive refunds. Its also possible for visitors to get reimbursed for reservations of picnic areas and pavilions. Many of those are closed as well.

　　Its the latest signal that the countrys national parks will continue to reduce services in the wake of President Donald Trumps second term.

　　National Park Cuts: Know Before You Go In his first 2 months, Trump slashed the jobs of tens of thousands of government workers. That included rangers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other essential personnel for the nations parks and forests.

　　Those firings were illegal, according to the decisions of two federal judges last week, who ruled that the workers must be reinstated. However, Trump continues to defy those rulings and many others, leading some legal scholars to call the situation a constitutional crisis.

　　As the political football continues, parks advocates are asking visitors to call their favorite parks before heading out this spring and summer.

　　Parks are going to experience staff shortages, visitor center closures, trail closures — its more important than ever that you spend a little time planning ahead and preparing, said J.D. Tanner, director of education and training for nonprofit group Leave No Trace. Make sure that the experience youre expecting is going to take place. Otherwise, youre going to find yourself somewhat disappointed.

　　Protestors against President Trumps policies returned to many national parks on March 22, including Yosemite; (photo/Resistance Rangers) Fired Parks Workers Still Waiting Parks supporters immediately welcomed the news that roughly 1,000 workers could be reinstated. But its unclear if the courts can stop Trump from dismantling the countrys park system. The president has also instituted a spending freeze for the park service, delayed seasonal hires, and opened up protected areas to drilling and resource extraction.

　　The U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service (NPS), has made “no moves to start putting crucial staff back to work,”according to a pressrelease from parks advocacy group Resistance Rangers.

　　Not only are the fired parks workers still waiting to be rehired, but the Department of the Interior (DOI) also doubled down on its attempts to keep reducing the NPS workforce. The department is now offering parks employees a $25,000 severance payment if they quit working this spring, SFGate reported.

　　As a result, parks advocates — led by Resistance Rangers — returned to many national parks this weekend to protest Trumps actions. Also, hundreds of current and former park service employees signed a letter to Doug Burgum, Secretary of the DOI, demanding the fired parks workers be reinstated.

　　These cuts leave our treasured sites and wildlife vulnerable, parks officials said in the letter.The one person who monitors water quality at Death Valley National Park was fired. Yosemite National Park lost its only locksmith. Critical monitoring projects of endangered species, like the endangered black abalone, are haltedOn March 13, 2025, two U.S. District Courts ordered agencies to reinstate their unlawfully-fired employees. But there has been no response from the Department of the Interior. We demand to know why not.

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　　National Parks Lose Visitors Visitation to the countrys park system isnt just an issue of maintaining access to public lands. The uncertainty surrounding the countrys parks is also having a negative impact on the tourism industry.

　　Reservations for businesses around Yosemite National Park have slowed down significantly, according to Business Insider. Three hotels near Yosemite have lost thousands of summer bookings from reservations usually made from January to March, the co-owner of First Light Resorts told the publication.

　　Thats partly because Yosemite National Park has suspended its reservation system in the wake of Trumps firings. Travelers are far less likely to book a hotel room near Yosemite when they dont know if they can enter the park.

　　“This chaotic whiplash is no way to manage the Park Service, especially as they are welcoming millions of visitors right now, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement. This administration needs to stop playing games with the future of our national parks.

　　Meanwhile, Burgum and Trump show no signs of slowing down their plans for public lands. In an announcement published in The Wall Street Journal, Secretary Burgum said he planned to open up federal lands to build more affordable housing.

　　This isn’t a free-for-all to build on federal lands, although we recognize that bad-faith critics will likely call it that, Burgum wrote. As we enter the Golden Age promised by President Trump, this partnership will change how we use public resources.

　　Officials at the National Park Service — specifically those at Great Smoky Mountains National Park — did not return requests for comment.

　　Protests Erupt at National Parks Over Trump FiringsPark advocates protested Trump's layoffs at over 170 of the country's parks this weekend, including nearly 12,000 demonstrators, organizers said. Read more