Latest Covid-19 National Park Guidelines

Jun 06, 2020, Destinations

Arches National Park, Utah:

All park roads, trails, and restrooms reopened May 29. Climbing/canyoneering permits for Arches became available for use on May 30. Campgrounds remain closed.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah:

The main park road and all viewpoints to Rainbow Point, restrooms at Sunset Point, Farview and Rainbow Points are open, and trails within the Bryce Amphitheater area. The park visitor center is open, though the museum and theater remain closed. Mossy Cave area is open, though construction may close some areas temporarily. Entrance fees are being charged. On June 7 the Sunset Campground will reopen to the public for camping by reservation only. The North Campground currently is closed for paving. All lodging and food services also are closed. Effective no later than July 1, hiking of backcountry trails and permits for backcountry camping at sites along these trails will again be permitted—park backcountry trails include the Riggs Spring Loop, the Under-the-Rim Trail, and Under-the-Rim connecting trails.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah:

All park roads, trails, and restrooms reopened May 29. Backcountry permits for Canyonlands became be available for use May 30. Campgrounds remain closed.

Capitol Reefs National Park, Utah:

All recreational opportunities resumed this week, and the Fruita Campground reopened.

Glacier National Park, Wyoming:

Opens June for day use with vehicles allowed no farther than Lake McDonald Lodge, while hikers and cyclists can head up the Going-to-the-Sun Road as far as conditions allow. Lake McDonald also is expected to be open to boating, but visitors are urged to check the park's website before planning a day on the water.

Remaining closed for now are:

East entrances from the Blackfeet Reservation will remain closed. The park is consulting with the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council to establish reopening dates for entrances from the reservation.
Visitor centers and ranger stations.
Overnight accommodations will be unavailable until later in the season.
Campgrounds, backcountry permits, additional stores, expanded tours, takeout food service, and visitor centers will remain closed. These services and/or facilities will open when safe and appropriate mitigation measures are in place.
Hotels, full-service dining, commercial tour buses, and ranger programs will remain closed. These services and/or facilities will reopen when health conditions allow.
Visitor Transportation Service (shuttles) will not be offered this season due to social distancing requirements in according with Center for Disease guidance on transit.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah/Arizona:

All boats will be allowed to launch at the Lake Powell main launch ramps at Bullfrog, Wahweap. Halls Crossing and Stateline. Public restrooms on those launch ramps are also open. On May 28 the Lone Rock Beach Primitive Campground reopened at 10 a.m. for day use and overnight camping. For more detailed listing of what's open, see this page.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona:

The South Rim's south entrance opens every day from 4 a.m. until 2 p.m for day use with limited commercial services. The entrance will close at 2 p.m. and visitors already inside the park can remain for day use access until sunset. The following areas will be open:

Tuweep will be open for day use access.
Day hiking on inner canyon trails and existing backcountry permits for hikers camping overnight will be honored. No new overnight camping permits for the inner canyon will be issued.

Beginning June 5, the following areas will be open for visitors every day:

South Rim's south entrance will be open 24/7, and Mather Campground will open for existing reservations only.
The North Rim will be open for day use. The campground is closed for construction until July 1.

Beginning June 14, the park will initiate a phased reopening of Colorado River commercial, noncommercial and administrative trips until further notice.

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming:

Reopened, with access available to:

Primary road access (Teton Park Road, Moose-Wilson Road and North Park Road)
Public restrooms in some areas
Day-use hiking on seasonally-accessible trails
Riverbank and lakeshore fishing
Multi-use pathway system (where free from snow)
Several viewpoints continue to be accessible along US Highway 89/26/191

Grand Teton facilities that would remain closed included:

Park visitor centers
Overnight lodging
Food service
Boating/floating on river and lakes
Marinas
Backcountry permits
Special-use permits
Campgrounds

The park is implementing a number of preventive measures to reduce the spread of infectious disease, including prioritizing the hiring of seasonal custodial workers and increased contracted services for cleaning and disinfecting high use areas, and the use of plexiglass panels in locations of high visitor/public interaction such as entrance stations, visitor centers, and permit desks, and providing visitor guidance.

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado:

Reopened with restrictions on May 24. Access was available to the Mesa Top Loop Drive, Far View sites, Cliff Palace driving loop, park hiking trails, restrooms and the Chapin picnic area. The park’s concessions facilities opened, including Morefield Campground, Far View Lodge, Far View Terrace, and Spruce Tree Terrace.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado:

The park reopened May 27, with staff monitoring visitors' behavior to determine which areas remain open and how many people will be allowed in the park. On June 4 the park will implement a reservation system. Reservations will go on sale through www.recreation.gov at 8 a.m. Mountain Time on May 28. The first reservation window will run from June 4 through July 31. The next release will be on July 1, for the month of August and any remaining days that have not been booked for July. On August 1, reservations will be available for the month of September and any remaining days that have not been booked for August. On September 1, reservations will be available for the month of October and any remaining days in September that have not been booked. You can find an FAQ page here.

The park’s three reservation campgrounds -- Moraine Park, Glacier Basin and Aspenglen campgrounds -- were originally scheduled to open Memorial Day Weekend. Park staff have contacted those campers to cancel those reservations. Only Moraine Park and Glacier Basin campgrounds will partially open on June 4, with approximately half of the campsites available for reservations. Aspenglen, Timber Creek and Longs Peak campgrounds will remain closed.

Trail Ridge Road opened across the roof of the park June 4.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming:

All entrances reopened June 1. The entire Grand Loop Road is accessible for day use, excluding the segment between Canyon and Tower, which is closed for road construction. Visitors can access Phase 1 services/facilities (including restrooms, self-service gas stations, trails/boardwalks, limited stores, entrance stations, medical clinics, approved tours) and a few services/facilities as outlined in Phase 2 (including takeout food service, boating, and fishing). The park will remain day-use only.The park has developed a range of mitigation actions that include: providing protective barriers where needed, encouraging the use of masks or facial coverings in high-density areas, metering visitor access in certain locations, increasing cleaning frequency of facilities, adding signage on boardwalks and other public spaces, and messaging to visitors through a variety of methods.

Zion National Park, Utah:

Zion Canyon reopened Wednesday, May 13, though there would be no shuttles. Once private vehicles take up all parking spots, the canyon will be closed to traffic until vehicles leave. Zion Lodge remains closed until May 21, visitor center and campgrounds are closed, climbing, canyoneering, and overnight backpacking are prohibited at this time, and the Angels Landing chain section is closed. The Kolob Canyons area of the park also remains closed.