What visitors can expect in D.C.-area national parks during the partial government shutdown

During the partial shutdown of the federal government, D.C.-area national parks will remain as accessible as possible, while still following all applicable laws and procedures, according to a news release from the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.

Park roads, lookouts, trails, green spaces and open-air memorials, including the National Mall, will generally remain accessible to visitors, but emergency and rescue services will be limited, and no National Park Service (NPS) provided visitor facilities or services will be available. This includes restrooms, visitor centers, information kiosks, and ranger talks and education programs. Visitors should expect to find park areas that would normally be closed after dark, closed for the duration of appropriations lapse.

Several partner organizations will assist with trash collection while NPS staff are furloughed but this may not occur in all areas or at the same frequency as when the government is open.

Park visitors are advised to use caution if they choose to enter NPS property. Any entry onto NPS property during the partial federal government shutdown is at the visitor’s sole risk.

NPS social media and websites are not being monitored or updated and may not reflect current conditions—access to NPS properties may change without notice.

Areas and sites closed during the shutdown include:
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial (previous closure for rehabilitation)
Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
Clara Barton National Historic Site
Daingerfield Island restaurant, Triple Craft (previous closure)
Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site (Ford’s Theatre Society will continue to offer performances in the theater as scheduled)
Fort Marcy
Fort Washington Park entrance road and visitor center
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Great Falls (Md.) entrance road and visitor center
Old Post Office Tower
Olmsted Island/Great Falls Overlook (Md.)
Great Falls (Va.) entrance road and visitor center
Hains Point
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Oxon Hill Farm
Peirce Mill
Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium
Rock Creek golf course (seasonal closure)
Turkey Run Park (gated areas)
Washington Monument (previous closure for elevator modernization)
White House Visitor Center

Restrooms
All public restrooms are closed. However, concessioner Guest Services, Inc., has provided portable restrooms at the following locations for the duration of the shutdown:
Lincoln Memorial (south side)
Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Tidal Basin (between the Martin Luther King, Jr. and Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials)
Washington Monument grounds (15th Street, between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive)
West Potomac Park (between Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial)
World War II Memorial

Third-party operated services that will continue
Food kiosk and concessions operated by Guest Services, Inc., will continue to operate, with the exception of food and retail operations at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion and the retail operation located in the basement of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, as that area is closed to the public.
Eastern National will continue to operate bookstores at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial (mezzanine level only), Washington Monument Lodge and the Old Stone House in Georgetown.
East Potomac and Langston golf courses are open.
East Potomac and Rock Creek tennis centers are open.
The Canal Quarters Program will continue.
Glen Echo Park will remain open.
The Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery will remain open.
All marinas on national park land in the D.C. metro area remain open (Belle Haven, James Creek, Columbia Island, Washington Sailing Marina, Fort Washington Marina).

Construction Projects that Continue
The following projects were funded by previous appropriations and will continue during the shutdown:
Arlington House rehabilitation
Arlington Memorial Bridge rehabilitation
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Locks 3, 4 and 5-22
Conococheague Aqueduct
Dyke Marsh restoration
Lincoln Memorial roof replacement
National Mall and Memorial Parks water line
Beach Drive Reconstruction
United States Park Police District 1 Substation
Washington Monument elevator modernization/screening facility
Windy Run Bridge rehabilitation

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