A dog takes one final sniff of the air while leaving Yosemite National Park along Highway 140. Photo by Tom Lyden
The fall colors in Yosemite National Park were stunning last weekend, and the crowds fewer than normal for this time of year.
But the vibe was, in a word, off.
Like a zombie it was still upright and functioning, but many of the resources that animate the park are gone as the federal government shutdown stretched into its fourth week.
Essential services — law enforcement, fire, search and rescue and essential utilities — are still in place and staffed, although at what level is unclear.
But there are no park rangers to greet visitors at the gate or collect entrance fees.
At the park’s most iconic locations — like Glacier Point, the Mariposa Grove or Vernal Fall — there are no park rangers to answer questions or engage with the public.
Many of the campgrounds are listed as closed, but that is not stopping some people from camping anyway.
And yet, for some visitors, the perception that the park is in slumber is part of the appeal, an opportunity for criminal mischief and lawlessness.
A board in the Welcome Center shows several closed campgrounds.
“There is something about the word ‘free,’” said an Aramark concessionaire, who thought the government shutdown was attracting a different type of visitor altogether.
A visitor less interested in the natural wonders of Yosemite, and more intrigued by what kind of trouble they can get away with.
Drunks, drones and jumpers
The Mariposa Gazette noticed an uptick in arrests and bookings in the Mariposa County Jail for public intoxication and drunk driving in Yosemite, with four people arrested last week.
A spokesperson for the Department of Interior in Washington D.C., who is answering questions for the National Park Service, confirmed five reports for impaired driving in the park in the last month.
While official statements have been few and far between, social media has provided a steady stream of reports about illegal BASE jumping and drone activity.
The fall colors were vivid last week along the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, and the crowds were few during the federal government shutdown. Photos by Tom Lyden
Climber Charles Winstead posted a video on Instagram last week of a buzzing drone bobbing and weaving recklessly close as he was climbing El Capitan.
“Very distracting, possibly dangerous if it had come up while one of us was leading a pitch,” Winstead wrote.
Since 2014, drone use without a permit has been banned in U.S. national parks over concerns about wildlife and noise. Violations can result in fines of up to $5,000 and six months in jail.
Winstead also posted video on Oct. 12 of eight separate BASE jumpers leaping off El Capitan at dawn and parachuting into the valley.
BASE jumping — an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth — is illegal in all national parks.
Despite more than a dozen sightings of BASE jumpers on social media, the Department of Interior said there have been only three “reported and documented” complaints since the start of the government shutdown.
Tarun Raddy of Merced takes a selfie with some friends visiting from Dallas, Texas.
Last week the National Park Service made a point of announcing criminal convictions against three people for offenses committed way back in 2020. The punishment included fines, community service and a couple days in jail.
“We do not tolerate illegal activity in Yosemite National Park,” said acting Superintendent Ray McPadden in a news release.
“These convictions demonstrate the professionalism and dedication of Yosemite’s protection team in upholding federal regulations and ensuring the safety of both visitors and first responders,” McPadden said.
It was McPadden’s only public statement since the shutdown began.
Ghost town
Yosemite National Park with its infrastructure supported by hundreds of employees is often described as a small city within nature.
For the last month it’s been a relative ghost town.
The administration building in Yosemite Village was dark last weekend, and all public statements have been coming by way of the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C.
Colder temperatures and occasional rain seemed to impact the number of tourists in Yosemite Village.
Ken Yager, founder of the Yosemite Climbing Association, worries that media reports of illegal activity, like drone use and BASE jumping, will only encourage more people to try.
“Problems pointed out in the media that are small, can become a bigger problem,” Yager said.
“It’s like, ‘Oh wow, there are no rangers, let’s jump off El Cap,’” he said.
A first responder the Gazette interviewed said the illegal activity involved only “a handful of individuals,” but he worried about longterm damage to wildlife, especially from drone activity.
The first responder was also concerned about ongoing scientific research projects in the park that could be jeopardized by the prolonged government shutdown.
There is also the matter of on-going criminal investigations conducted by the Investigative Services Bureau (ISB) of the National Park Service.
For weeks now the Gazette has been asking about an alleged sexual assault that occurred in Yosemite on Sept. 19.
That case is still under investigation, an Interior Department spokesperson in Washington, D.C. confirmed last week and no arrest has been made.
Storm is coming
Speaking in a relatively desolate Yosemite Village, Yager said it feels like “the lull before the storm.”
He wasn’t talking about the weather, which was overcast with an occasional rain drizzle likely keeping many visitors away.
The lack of crowds last weekend made it feel like a “time capsule from 40 to 50 years ago when I first moved up here,” Yager said.
But that can create a distorted view of what is happening in the park and the impact of the government shutdown. And what’s to come.
Park rangers and rescue workers are wearing a number of hats.
“They are taking up the slack for two to three people who did other jobs. Rescue people are now having to clean restrooms. That is not sustainable long term,” Yager said.
Furloughed employees, in addition to missing paychecks, are also facing potential layoffs from the Trump Administration, known as reduction in force (RIF), that were under consideration before the government shutdown.
“Some families are looking at tough choices,” said Yager.
Business ‘unusual’
For most first time visitors, however, it can seem like business as usual.
“From my expectations, everything seems normal,” said Chaitany Dasari of Houston, Texas, who was ending his four day visit watching climbers on El Capitan.
Neal Ewan and Ezra Fu of San Francisco didn’t realize anything was different with their trip until talking with a reporter.
“Now we realize why no one was at the gate,” Ewan said.
Ellie White and Molly Grove from Ohio said it was “weird to drive right in.”
They thought about canceling their plans to visit but their accommodations were already booked.
“We’re pretty respectful and good hikers. We pack out and take care of ourselves. This is not going to make us behave poorly,” White said.
Tarun Raddy of Merced has been in Yosemite for the last four weekends and said the first time he was “shocked no one was at the entrance.”
Raddy said the absence of park rangers at high volume locations is disappointing.
“A lot of people don’t know what Glacier Point really is,” or why its important, Raddy said.
“We don’t know if we’re missing anything,” said Terry Cali of Cleveland, Ohio, who was visiting the park for the first time.
Yager, of the Yosemite Climbing Association, voiced similar concerns.
“It’s important for these interpreters to talk to the public and explain why these parks were saved. If people don’t learn that stuff, they think its a place to use and abuse,” Yager said.
It is an opportunity lost.
An entire month with thousands of opportunities, lost.
So far.
“These places will get damaged. And they won’t be protected in the future because people won’t understand why they are protected,” Yager said.
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