The National Park Service (NPS) is facing significant challenges due to recent budget cuts and workforce reductions.
In February 2025, the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) implemented layoffs affecting approximately 1,000 NPS employees. These cuts are part of a broader initiative to downsize the federal workforce, which also included the dismissal of around 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees.
These staffing reductions come at a time when national parks are experiencing record visitation rates, placing additional strain on already limited resources. The combination of increased demand and decreased staffing has led to concerns about the maintenance and operation of park facilities, as well as the quality of visitor experiences. Critics argue that these budget cuts undermine the economic benefits that national parks provide to local communities through tourism and related activities.
The following examples illustrate the tangible impacts of these funding challenges on specific projects within iconic national parks:
Rehabilitation on Laurel Falls Trail – Great Smokey Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is consistently the most visited national park in the country because it’s less than a day’s drive from more than half the U.S. population. The National Park Service records show that 12.2 million visitors went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2024, a 20% increase in visitation over the previous decade. Park officials estimate visitors spent an estimated $2.2 billion in gateway communities, which generated 33.7 thousand local jobs. These figures are significantly higher than the recent workforce reduction, but visitors must receive a high-quality park experience to continue coming.
Employees maintain 848 miles of hiking trails within the park, including the trail to Laurel Falls. The park estimates more than 300,000 people make the 2.6-mile trek every year despite deteriorating trail conditions, an overtaxed shuttle and permit system. In response, the park began a major 18-month rehabilitation project that closed the Laurel Falls Trail for 18 months starting January 6, 2025.
The project includes safety aspects such as constructing new view platforms to reduce hazards associated with the slippery and steep area surrounding the falls and widening the asphalt trail that was first paved in 1963 and is currently rough and uneven, and includes sections of cracked and missing pavement. They will also install new signs and educational panels to guide wayfinding, bear safety, and Leave No Trace principles.
The project also provides critical upgrades to the trailhead parking area. These include adding roughly 50 parking spaces and constructing a designated pathway with a guardrail to connect pedestrians to the trailhead safely. The park’s press release claims improvements to the parking area are funded by recreation fee revenue from campgrounds and parking tag fees, but it doesn’t address where the remaining funding came from or if the campground funds were previously earmarked for campground-related expenses.
Glacier National Park Swiftcurrent Construction
Glacier National Park was one of America’s first National Parks, encompassing over one million acres. Protection of the Flathead River within the park created the National Wild and Scenic River program, designated by a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and in 1995 as a World Heritage Site. It receives over three million yearly visitors who must contend with the park’s aging infrastructure.
In 2024, the park began a massive improvement project in East Glacier. Construction started in the fall of 2024 and will continue through mid-May 2026. The project will replace the water system at the Swiftcurrent developed area that was initially installed in the 1960s and rehabilitate the road between the Many Glacier Hotel intersection and the Swiftcurrent developed area. Additionally, it will address parking concerns and pedestrian safety.
As a result, there will be no general public entrance into Many Glacier between July 1 and September 21, 2025, without a shuttle ticket, commercial service, or lodging reservation.
Hurricane Helene Damage to Skyline Drive
Hurricane Helene was a deadly and devastating storm that caused widespread death and destruction across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. The hurricane had a high death toll, causing 249 deaths and inflicting an estimated total of $78.7 billion in damage. It was the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017, and the most fatal to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. After the storm, researchers with World Weather Attribution concluded with “high confidence” that climate change made Helene worse.
Skyline Drive, a 105-mile National Parkway that runs the entire length of the National Park Service’s Shenandoah National Park, was contained within Helene’s path of destruction. The storm caused catastrophic flooding, landslides, washed-out roads, and countless downed trees. The National Park Service expects visitors to experience the ongoing effects of this storm for many months, and even years, as they continue their recovery efforts. Some Parkway sections remain closed from Helene impacts and recovery projects, so the park service recommends regularly checking their project information page for updates.
A Look Into the Future of National Parks
These are only three examples of significant projects requiring additional funding in high-profile National Parks, but there are undoubtedly many more. Even before the recent budget-cutting cycle, the most visited parks resorted to a patchwork of funding to complete these efforts.
While there could be a rationale for balancing customer service jobs with infrastructure improvements, the parks appear to be struggling to keep up with increased visitation, climate change, and aging facilities. Funding or other delays could continue these service restrictions into the 2026 season or longer.