Can you visit Everglades National Park during the federal shutdown? What to know
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- Parks remain open but services and visitor centers in Everglades are closed.
- Some rangers and staff are furloughed, reducing law enforcement and upkeep.
- Private operators run some tours and ferry service while park facilities shut.
The federal government shutdown is affecting national parks in South Florida.
An alert on the National Park Service website advises that “national parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.”
Miami-Dade has two national parks: Everglades National Park, which goes west across Tamiami Trail and includes the Anhinga Trail and Shark Valley Visitor Center, and Biscayne National Park, which goes east into Biscayne Bay and includes Elliott Key, a popular boating spot.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, which oversee the national parks, told the Miami Herald that parks will remain open, and law enforcement and wildfire prevention are still happening. But many park rangers and other employees are furloughed, which will affect services.
“The Department of the Interior will keep critical services open,’’ the Interior Department email said.
According to the federal government’s shutdown plan for national parks, all areas that are usually gated or locked outside of business hours must remain locked. That appears to include Shark Valley, where a private company that runs the tram tours noted that the tours were unavailable and the attraction is closed.
The four visitor centers at Everglades National Park are also closed, without rangers to staff them. But the company that runs a hotel within the park, Flamingo Lodge, and some of the available tours nearby said the lodge will remain open and its tours will run.
“Access through the main park entrance is open,” they posted on Instagram. “The Guy Bradley visitor center is closed.”
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While some outdoor services may remain open, like hiking trails, the workers who maintain the restrooms may not be working. Most park staff, including rangers, are furloughed until the government is funded again.
The shutdown has also impacted Big Cypress National Preserve, off Tamiami Trail, near the Shark Valley Visitor Center.
“Due to the lapse in appropriations, the Off-Road Vehicle office will be closed until further notice. If you already have a permit for your vehicle, the Off-Road Vehicle trails are still open to you,” park officials posted on the Florida park service’s website.
South Florida’s third national park, Dry Tortugas off of Key West, appears to still be open. The island is only accessible by plane or boat, and the private company that runs ferry rides to the fort, Yankee Ferry, posted on its website that it’s running “as usual.”
The National Parks Conservation Association released a statement Wednesday saying the shutdown leaves America’s national parks “understaffed and vulnerable.” The association said that 64% of rangers will be furloughed under this shutdown.
During the last 35-day shutdown in 2018 and 2019, the parks association said, people vandalized national parks left unguarded by rangers. That included vandalization of ancient petroglyphs at Big Bend National Park in Texas, Joshua Trees cut down at Joshua Tree National Park in California and illegal off-roading through vulnerable landscapes at Death Valley National Park in California.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this crisis, including the thousands of furloughed park staff, local business owners who rely on park visitors, and anyone whose dream national park trip may be disrupted. Every day the shutdown continues, our parks and local economies will lose millions of dollars. People and businesses will suffer,” said NPCA President Theresa Pierno in a statement.
Florida’s national parks have already taken hits this year due to federal cuts, said Eve Samples, executive director at Friends of the Everglades, a conservation and activist organization.
“Our national parks were already harmed by this year’s DOGE-driven staffing cuts, which included vital science positions at Everglades National Park. The threat of more job cuts during this government shutdown is adding insult to injury,” Samples said in an email to the Miami Herald.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 5:02 AM.