If the federal government shutdown continues, Mount Rainier National Park may have to shutter operations Sunday.
Melinda Simpson, operations manager for Rainier Guest Services, said Wednesday they are in wait-and-see mode, but if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement, guest services will halt operations, and more than likely the park will close.
“No one wants to see that happen, and we’re just hoping against hope that something will come of all of this,” said Simpson.
Rainier Guest Services contracts with the National Parks Service to provide retail, restaurant, and hotel service to park visitors.
As of Wednesday, Mount Rainier National Park is partially open. Visitors can enter the Nisqually gate and travel to Longmire, but the road to Paradise is closed along with all visitor centers, contact stations, and permit desks. The National Park Inn at Longmire, which Rainier Guest Services helps operate, remains open.
"We may be a skeleton crew, but we are here to take care of the guests," Simpson said.
Guest services have also been working in concert with the parks service to make sure bathrooms and trash pickup aren’t neglected during the shutdown, according to Simpson. Several other out-of-state national parks, such as Yosemite National Park and Joshua Tree National Park in California, have dealt with garbage pileup and camper squabbles over campsites without rangers to sort them out.
Olympic National Park is open with limited access during the shutdown, but most park roads and campgrounds are closed due to damage from a December storm. Kalaloch Lodge and Lake Crescent Lodge remain open, but all visitor centers, contact stations, and permit desks are closed.