The federal government shutdown has started to impact operations at Pinnacles National Park, with campground services and visitor amenities facing delays and limitations.
According to an article by SFGATE, during the shutdown, maintenance tasks such as flushing water spigots have been disrupted, leading to brown and foul-smelling drinking water at the Pinnacles campground.
Andrew Snow, an outdoor education course director, was preparing to lead a weeklong program for 50 middle school students when he noticed the water issue.
He approached the camp host and said, “Hey, this water is brown. I’ve got photos of it, and it’s pretty gnarly. We’ve got to get water for these kids,” he told SFGATE.
The camp host explained that a maintenance worker normally visits the spigots about every three days and leaves them open for 30 or 40 minutes to flush the system, according to Snow.
The host instructed him to “rig something up and leave the spigot open for about an hour,” Snow said. “So that’s what we did. And then wow, the water was much better.”
Snow wasn’t sure if the person who normally flushes the pipes works directly for the National Park Service, but the camp host did say that the task wasn’t being completed because of the federal government shutdown, Snow told SFGATE.
Asked about the spigots, Park Service spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said the agency wasn’t aware of the problem.
“Water operators are running at full capacity and we have not received complaints from visitors about the water,” she wrote.
The shutdown, now in its third week, has affected national parks across the country, shuttering some sites entirely, prompting illegal activity at others, and limiting access to attractions and visitor services elsewhere.
At Pinnacles, which is experiencing its busiest time of year according to Peace, the most visible impact is the closure of its western entrance to vehicle traffic.
There has been no announcement of the closure on the park’s website, leaving some visitors to hike long distances to reach trailheads or drive over an hour to access the east entrance.
Other impacts have been less obvious. The campground is operated by a concessionaire, allowing visitors to enjoy the park’s trails, cliffs, caves, and condors.
Pinnacles, California’s newest national park at 26,606 acres, drew 354,076 visitors in 2024. Of its 35 full-time employees, more than half are likely furloughed.
The Park Service did not respond to questions about exact furlough numbers but confirmed that essential staff remain on duty, including law enforcement rangers, custodial personnel, and water system operators.
Like many other national parks, Pinnacles’ east entrance is unstaffed, and the $30 per vehicle fee is not being collected, contributing to revenue losses across the system.
“During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible,” reads a notice at the east entrance.
“We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available.”
About a five-minute drive from the east entrance, the park bookstore remains open but does not accept cash.
Visitor Allison Baur explained, “There are no trail maps here, and there’s no cell service. So today we headed out without having any map besides taking a picture of a sign. But for tomorrow, I am trying to get this map to download.”
Baur and her husband Paul, who have been traveling in their Airstream trailer, said Pinnacles was less impacted than other parks, though they noted that Sequoia and Kings Canyon visitor centers were closed despite prior expectations.
“I couldn’t get the stamp in my book, and I couldn’t get the slick brochure,” Baur said. “I have been collecting the slick brochures everywhere we go, for many years now. My husband says that just means we have to go back,” he added.
Baur added that Pinnacles’ store has run out of brochures and trail maps, which cannot be restocked during the shutdown.
Peace confirmed that the bookstore, operated by a concessionaire, is “temporarily unable to restock printed trail maps and brochures.”
She added, “large trail maps are posted throughout the park, and a digital version is available on the park’s website for download or photography.”
Despite map shortages, Baur said hiking the Rim Trail Loop and Bear Gulch Cave had been enjoyable, and she planned a longer trail to try to see condors.
Snow reported that rocks had fallen onto a road during his program, creating a potential hazard for vehicles, but first responders were quick to respond to a hiker with a head injury.
“That was kind of cool to see firsthand that even though the government is shut down, first responders are there and ready to go,” Snow said.
He also noted that the closure of the Bear Gulch Nature Center limited educational opportunities for students
“With that, we don’t have the opportunity to do the Junior Ranger program, and we’re missing some of the resources that we had to talk about condors and to talk about this special rock that is here in Pinnacles. We don’t have the opportunity to bring kids in there for self-learning moments or presentations,” Snow explained.
Trash removal has also lagged. “This dumpster over here has not been emptied since last week, and so I don’t know if it’s going to get emptied,” Snow said.
“I hope it does, because between two separate schools that are coming this week, we’re going to create a lot of trash,” he added.
The situation at Pinnacles highlights the operational challenges national parks face during a shutdown, from water and trash management to reduced access and visitor services, while also demonstrating the continued importance of first responders and concessionaires in keeping parks functional for campers, hikers, and outdoor educators.