Which National Parks Are Open

Following nearly two months of closures, lock downs, and relative solitude, destinations are slowly beginning to reemerge. In late March, many popular national parks closed to visitors. Others closed visitor centers, museums and other buildings, but kept trails open. Parks are now beginning to reopen in stages. The National Park Service is working service-wide with federal, state and local public health authorities, and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.

Please remember that it’s great to visit these amazing national parks, but there still are some thing to keep in mind:

Maintain six-foot social distancing
Do not exceed group size limits
Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds
Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing
Bring hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to use just in case soap and water are not available
Face masks are recommended where social distancing is not possible
If you feel sick, please stay home & not visit the parks

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina & Tennessee
Closed since March 24, the most popular national park in the country, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is among those that started to welcome visitors on May 9th. It is a phased re-opening. Certain trails such as Laurel Falls, Alum Cave & Chimney Tops currently remain closed. Some roads are closed to motorists, but will be available for pedestrians & cyclists including Clingmans Dome Road, Balsam Mountain Road and Big Creek Road. Download the parks app for full details.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Southern Utah
Bryce Canyon National Park is also open. Travelers can access the main park road and viewpoints to Rainbow Point, plus trails in the Bryce Amphitheater area. Restrooms at Sunset Point are opening. Campgrounds remain closed and overnight stays are not permitted. The Park visitor centers & NHA bookstore are open from 8 am to 6 pm but will be limited occupancy to allow for social distancing. The theater, museum, Mossy Cave parking and trail areas; and the more popular trails are closed until further notice. Park entrance fees will resume on May 20th. Sunset Campground will reopen to the public by reservation only on June 7th. By July 1st hiking of backcountry trails and permits for backcountry camping will be available. Backcountry trails include the Riggs Spring Loop, the Under-the-Rim Trail, and Under-the-Rim connecting trails.

Zion National Park, Southwest Utah
On May 13th, Zion National Park began allowing “day-use recreational access” to select areas in the park. Canyonlands and Arches National Parks remain closed.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Yellowstone National Park begin their phased reopening on May 18th. They have outlined a 3 phase plan that initially opens the South & East entrances of Wyoming and limits visitors travel to the lower loop of the park. The lower loop allows access to Lake, Canyon, Norris, Old Faithful, West Thumb and Grant Village. Visitors will be able to access restrooms, self-service gas stations, trails and boardwalks, and other Phase 1 facilities that are open. In Phase 2, campgrounds, backcountry permits, visitor cabins, additional stores, boating, fishing and visitor centers will be able to open with social distancing. In Phase 3, hotels, full service dining, commercial tour buses and ranger programs will be available. No dates have been set for phase 2 or 3 at the time of writing this post.

Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite National Park is closed to all park visitors at this time. They are working on a phased approach that should be announced soon. In the meantime you can enjoy wildlife webcams & virtual tours of the park.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park began its phased re-opening on May 18th. Teton Park Road, Moose-Wilson Road and North Park Road are open. Riverbank & lakeshore fishing and day-use hiking on seasonally accessible trails are permitted. The visitors center, lodging, food service, boating, marina, backcountry permits and campgrounds remain closed. The park is implementing a number of preventive measures to reduce the spread of infectious disease, including prioritizing the hiring of seasonal custodial workers and increased contracted services for cleaning and disinfecting high use areas, and the use of plexiglass panels in locations of high visitor/public interaction such as entrance stations, visitor centers, and permit desks, and providing visitor guidance.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Northern Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park Will Begin A Phased Reopening On May 27. Portions of Glacier Basin Campgrounds and Moraine Park will open on June 4th. Approximately half of the campsites will be available for reservations. Timber Creek, Longs Peak & Aspenglen campgrounds will remain closed. Wilderness camping permits will be issued beginning on May 27th & shuttle bus operations within the Bear Lake corridor will also begin on that day. Passengers will be limited to 15 at a time to allow for social distancing.

Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia National Park visitors center and major roads were closed on March 25. If you are not a resident of Maine, a trip to Arcadia this summer may be out of the question. The governor has required all out-of-state visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park is working on a plan for a phased reopening. The park has announced the delayed opening of their lodging, food service, and gift shop operations in the park to at least June 15. Red bus tours are cancelled through at least July 15th. The park will not accept or process advance reservations for backcountry camping for the remainder of 2020.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Badlands National Park visitor center and entrance stations are closed; park roads, overlooks and trails are open.

Redwood National Park, Northern California
Redwood National Park is working to increase access to the park in a phased approach. There are some closed facilities, limited services and closures of some areas and roads to vehicles. All national park trails, except for Tall Trees Grove are open. Freshwater Beach is open. Coastal Drive and Bald Hills Road are open. The visitors centers are closed, as well as parking areas and restrooms. Most campgrounds are closed. Newton B. Drury Scenic parkway is closed, as well as Davison Road and Howland Hill Road.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
There will be limited access to portions of the South Rim during Memorial Day Weekend, beginning on May 22nd through May 25th. You can enter the south rim viewpoints between 6-10am for now, and go as far as Pipe Creek Vista, Twin Overlooks, Duck on a Rock, Thor’s Hammer, No Name Point and Navajo Point. Colorado rafting trips are still suspended, likely into July.

Glen Canyon, Arizona & Utah, USA
Jasper National Park , as well as all Canadian Park facilities are closed. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is open, and can offer Essential services only. Downlake: Wahweap Main Ramp is open 7 days per week. The RV park and campground as well as boat rentals are open. Uplake: Bullfrog main ramp, rv park, campground, boat rentals and outpost store are open. Beehive campground is open with a limit of three days, but camping beyond the campground is prohibited. On Lake Powell, the fuel dock, floating restrooms, Dangling Rope restrooms and fish cleaning stations will be open. In Horseshoe bend, Lees Ferry & the trail to Horseshoe Bend Overlook are open.

Other parks:
Arches National Park plans phased reopening starting May 29th
Big Bend National Park reopening in June
Canyonlands National Park phased reopening starting May 29th
Death Valley National Park – Closed with no date announced
Denali National Park – Open
Everglades National Park – Open
Glacier Bay National Park Alaska – Open
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park – Closed
Hot Springs National Park – Open
Joshua Tree National Park – Open
Mesa Verde National Park – Closed
Olympic National Park – Open
Redwood National Park – Open