Government Shutdown Brings Waves Of Illegal Activity To Yosemite National Park

Just days after the federal government shut down, reports of illegal activity in Yosemite National Park are spreading across social media. Since the beginning of October, visitors have attested that a rise in illegal camping, unpermitted hiking, and BASE jumping is taking place within the park. 

Half Dome, one of the most sought-after hikes in the park, has seen hikers taking advantage of the strained resources to score a trip up on the peak’s infamous cabled section without a permit. Recent videos and photographs show walls of people on the steel cables,  with some Facebook users reporting witnessing or participating in unpermitted hikes to the summit at the same time as those with permits. 

At this time, it’s unclear how many Yosemite employees were deemed “essential” to continue operations during the government shutdown. But with significant park resources like visitor centers and information booths closing down across the country, national parkgoers are unable to access ordinarily available resources. In addition, national park websites don’t get regular updates during government shutdowns, which contributes to a lack of information to incoming visitors. 

The shutdown hasn’t just brought hikers trying to sneak onto famous trails; it has also brought illegal campers, according to reporting by SFGATE. Permitted camping tends to be strictly enforced within park boundaries, but now, people are taking advantage of the limited park resources and illegally setting up camp.

Due to the government shutdown straining resources, Yosemite rangers aren’t able to monitor more remote areas of the park. Although the park’s ranger shortage could reduce the likelihood of illicit campers receiving a citation, those who sidestep the rules could create dangerous conditions for other visitors and negatively impact the natural setting.

“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” John DeGrazio, founder of the tour company YExplore Yosemite Adventures, told SFGATE. As an avid hiker and community member, DeGrazio said that he’s never seen the park in such straits. 

While hikers are sneaking onto the Half Dome cables and campers are setting up tents without permits, BASE jumpers are counting on a lack of park resources to limit citations for the illegal sport. Posts on Instagram show multiple BASE jumpers and paragliders leaping off of El Capitan in broad daylight since the shutdown began. 

For decades, the federal government never directly outlawed BASE jumping, but Yosemite’s law enforcement teams used federal aerial guidelines to ban the phenomenon. Now, park officials are reminding visitors that the sport is, in fact, illegal within national parks. 

The park service’s public affairs office told Newsweek, “BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, due to the significant safety risks it poses to participants, the public, and first responders.”

Across the country, many national parkgoers are wondering whether or not they should visit unguarded parks during a government shutdown. Most resource centers are not outwardly discouraging hikers to visit national park sites, but rather notifying them that crowds and congestion are likely. Other advocates have called for the parks’ closure for the duration of the shutdown. In the wake of recent illicit activities, Emily Thompson, the executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks released a statement saying: “This is exactly what we warned about. And this is why national parks need to be closed until the government re-opens. This shutdown is making an already bad situation at national parks and public lands far worse. And the longer this goes, the worse it is going to get. The situation is dangerous and reckless for our parks, public lands, and the visitors who love them.”

In a statement on social media, the Interior Department attacked SFGATE’s reporting as “fake news,” with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum writing that Yosemite “remains fully staffed to ensure visitor safety and protect natural resources.”