Reasons Your Simple “Trip to Yellowstone” Will Make You Mad This Year

Montanans are frustrated with recent job cuts and hiring freezes within the National Park Service. Disruptions to tourism, and the enjoyment of public lands would have serious financial consequences to all residents - not just those who have already been directly affected by the Trump/DOGE firings.

Your trip into Yellowstone or Glacier this season might suck. Why? Because nobody's quite sure if there are enough employees to do deep trail maintenance, water safety checks - or even maintain campgrounds and restrooms.

After the "Valentine's Day Massacre", where thousands of government employees were told their employment was terminated, it's still unclear just how many people - and what jobs specifically - have been eliminated from the payrolls.

NOTE: There have been several examples of laid-off or fired employees coming forward, but it's been extremely difficult to find an exact list of positions that have been eliminated.

Approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees have been fired, with another 700 taking the odd "Fork in the Road" buyout offered earlier in the year by the Trump administration.

SEE: YELLOWSTONE PARK WEBCAMS

On the 2.4 million-acre Shoshone National Park in Wyoming — the nation’s oldest national forest — roughly 20% of permanent workers were informed they were out of a job, according to a U.S. Forest Service staffer in Wyoming familiar with the layoffs.

The losses hit some reaches of the Shoshone harder than others, with up to 40% of the non-fire staff being cut loose in some ranger districts. (wyofile.com)

Here are things we do know about the recent layoffs, and how these federal employees affect Montana and the National Parks, such as Glacier and Yellowstone:

• More than 300 million people visit National Parks each year
• Yellowstone National Park hosted 4,692,810 visitors in 2024, marking a 6% increase over the same period in 2023 (4,446,509 visits) - according to YNP Facebook page
• Vehicle access to popular park attractions will already be limited or restricted in 2025 due to scheduled construction projects. (See below)
• The Department of the Interior is the National Park Service's parent agency
• U.S. Department of Agriculture is the Forest Service’s parent agency

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According to the National Parks Conservation Association: "Between staff being fired and those resigning under duress, the National Park Service has lost 9% of its staff in only a matter of weeks."

FIND ANY NATIONAL PARK HERE

According to the National Park Service website: "Personal vehicle access into Many Glacier will be restricted from July 1-September 21, 2025. A temporary shuttle service will be provided for hikers wanting to access the area."

• June 13th through September 28th, 2025:  Glacier National Park - timed entry vehicle reservations are required for the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road and North Fork from 7 am to 3 pm.
• Crimes in National Parks are getting weirder and more violent, with active shooter incidents, including racist rants.

NOTE: "Pursuant to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, vehicle reservations are not required for tribal members throughout the park."