National Parks - Current Status

[AlanLichty]

You could hang up a Closed sign for pretty much all of Washington and Oregon.

At this point all State parks and in Washington and Oregon are closed.
From what I can see all National Parks Service roads, campgrounds, and trailheads are closed. Rainier allows dispersed backcountry use although it's not clear how you will get there other than on foot.
National Monument sites are closed (eg. John Day Fossil Beds NM).
Coastal communities along the Oregon coast are letting visitors know they are not welcome since most of the residents in those communities are 60 and older.
All trailheads and campgrounds in the Gifford Pinchot and Mt. Hood US Forests are closed.
All of the Columbia River Gorge trailheads and the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway are closed.

It's a good time to have an alternative hobby you can do at home.

 

[ckcarr]

NOTICE: Dead Horse Point State Park is currently open only to residents of Grand and San Juan Counties per Governor Gary R. Herbert’s “Stay Safe, Stay Home” Directive. Visit the Utah State Parks COVID-19 webpage for updated information.
Notice: The visitor Center at Dead Horse Point State Park is closed

NOTICE: Goblin Valley State Park is currently open only to residents of Emery County per Governor Gary R. Herbert’s “Stay Safe, Stay Home” Directive. Visit the Utah State Parks COVID-19 webpage for updated information.

Notice: The Visitor Center at Goblin Valley State Park is closed.

 

[ckcarr]

Mt friends in Gunnison informed me of this, even more severe, restriction if you were planning on traveling there. Why would you right now with all this going on though?


Gunnison County health officials late Friday afternoon, April 3, have issued a fifth revision to a standing Public Health Order extending the restrictions from April 11 to April 30 and requiring those who do not live here to return home unless they have an approved exemption.

Guide services are also prohibited from operation under this revision.

The order now states that "the presence of non-residents and visitors, including non-resident homeowners, is no longer permitted in Gunnison County in order to maintain public health and safety and to continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic, unless otherwise expressly permitted by the Order, including if granted, an exemption or waiver by the Public Health Director under the provisions of this Order."


The order also defines a "principal residence as "the property that a person uses a majority of the time during the year, but can also be determined on a case-by-case basis (if necessary) employing additional factors at the sole discretion of the Public Health Director. Those include the person's place of employment, the principal place of abode for the person's family members, the address listed on a persons tax returns, driver's license, automobile registration and voter registration card, the person's mailing address for bills, location of the person's banks and the location of religious groups or recreations clubs which the person is affiliated.

The extension of the sunset date to April 30 coincides with restrictions issued by Colorado's governor.

 

[Sunny Sra]

Utah has imposed that you must register where you're going to be for all out of state visitors
Navajo nation has spiked in deaths and has imposed a 57-hour curfew this weekend... the only exception is first responders.
LA has extended Stay @ home till May 15th

...Today
Crossed over 2k deaths per day
Highest infection rate, over 500K
Highest deaths ...19K

 

[Jim Sanderson]

Was informed that my weeks lodging reservation in Yosemite Valley for next week has been canceled. Yosemite closure now extended through May 15th.

 

[JimFox]

Was informed that my weeks lodging reservation in Yosemite Valley for next week has been canceled. Yosemite closure now extended through May 15th.

Hopefully there will be a safe way we can get back into the National Parks soon.

 

[AlanLichty]

Most of the state parks in Washington will be open next week for day use only. All campgrounds are still closed.

 

[JimFox]

Most of the state parks in Washington will be open next week for day use only. All campgrounds are still closed.

I don’t get the no camping thing. People aren’t camping 2” from the next person. Often there is 10 to 20 feet even between edges of campsites. Social distancing is not an issue with camping. And while I heard someone say that it was picking up trash and cleaning toilets, and that I should try it sometime.

But the truth is, those people who clean bathrooms and empty trash already were wearing PPE. It’s not like they were cleaning toilets with their bare hands. They all were using gloves anyway because there are germs in bathrooms naturally. So to me, it’s just not a good counter argument.

And for those that insist I clean the bathrooms, like that somehow would scare me? I was in the Army, I cleaned a lot, and I mean a lot of bathrooms, toilets, sinks, showers, and yes, using a toothbrush wax often used in clean floors and other hard to reach spots. And we did not have gloves...

 

[Ben Egbert]

I am with you Jim. The argument that made most senses to me was the Rangers handling the entry fees. But that's not much different than a clerk at a store.

 

[MonikaC]

Utah is relaxing it's restrictions (though not in Grand County (Moab, Arches, Canyonlands) in Emery & Carbon counties:

[/CARBON & EMERY COUNTIES: Removes restrictions, increased sanitation practices. Social distancing should still be practiced.].

 

[MonikaC]

I don’t get the no camping thing. People aren’t camping 2” from the next person. Often there is 10 to 20 feet even between edges of campsites. Social distancing is not an issue with camping. And while I heard someone say that it was picking up trash and cleaning toilets, and that I should try it sometime.

But the truth is, those people who clean bathrooms and empty trash already were wearing PPE. It’s not like they were cleaning toilets with their bare hands. They all were using gloves anyway because there are germs in bathrooms naturally. So to me, it’s just not a good counter argument.

And for those that insist I clean the bathrooms, like that somehow would scare me? I was in the Army, I cleaned a lot, and I mean a lot of bathrooms, toilets, sinks, showers, and yes, using a toothbrush wax often used in clean floors and other hard to reach spots. And we did not have gloves...

There's a lot of socializing in certain groups who are camping in organized campgrounds. And often a lot of alcohol involved, with subsequent behavior. And there are studies that show that COVID-19 is spread through feces. Though where they think people will shit when outhouses are closed, I have no clue. Then if you add in the numbers of people who camp in organized campgrounds and take no personal responsibility for themselves in the backcountry (getting injured or lost because there is no cell phone coverage), you have an extra load on rescue personnel & emergency services.

 

[ckcarr]

Liquor store in Moab was closed down because an employee caught COVID-19 from someone. It may be open again..

I agree with Monica. As a matter of fact, there are still people coming here that are not "self-aware" at all. And in their minds it's not about them. However, the fact is it's what they can potentially bring to towns like Moab, or Gunnison, or others. As they've discovered, some people may not exhibit symptoms, yet could easily be the "Typhoid Mary" of COVID....

 

[Ben Egbert]

Alerts & Conditions
ALERTS
Park Closure

• Effective May 5, 2020: Park to Increase Recreational Access to the North and South Districts
  Capitol Reef National Park will reopen access to day use in the North District (Cathedral Valley) and South District (Waterpocket Fold), and overnight stays in Cedar Mesa campground and Cathedral Valley campground. Many facilities and areas remain closed.more

C