With the federal shutdown on hold, Pinnacles National Park has reopened to the public as of Monday.
The park reopened Monday after being closed for 35 days following the federal government shutdown ordered by President Trump. The president late last week called for a temporary end to the shutdown to allow for three weeks of negotiations. At issue is Trump’s push for a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.
Both the east and west side of Pinnacles reopened Monday morning, while the privately managed campground had remained open during the shutdown.
Although Pinnacles staff members are cleaning up in the aftermath, most of the national park is open to the public.
“The only closure we still is the Balconies Cave Trail,” said Seth Macey, chief ranger at the park. “That was closed because of safety reasons. It had nothing to do with the shutdown.”
The trail had issues due to rain and rocks falling, he said, adding how crews will get out there as soon as possible to clear it. Workers are also out looking for downed trees and such after the closure.
During that shutdown, the park had just five law enforcement personnel working without pay along with several members of the team overseeing Pinnacles’ California condor program. There were also a few maintenance workers who responded on call to issues that arose, mostly with water treatment, Macey said.
Also for the first time today, Pinnacles’ fee increase went into effect since it was supposed to start Jan. 1 after the shutdown began. The per vehicle cost went from $25 to $30 with the per person cost going from $12 to $15.
