List of National Parks that are Open During the Shutdown

As most people are well aware at this point, the vast majority of the parks within the national park system are closed due to the government shutdown. A few states have worked with the government and they have decided to reopened a few parks with state funds. It’s important to note that just because a state has decided to reopen some parks within their state, that doesn’t mean that all of the national parks sites within their state are open. The number of sites open is still only a small percentage of the 401 sites that make up the national park system. Below is the current list of sites that are currently open, along with the dates that they are scheduled to remain open:

Arizona

grand canyon national park arizona

Grand Canyon National Park (currently scheduled to be open from October 12 to 18)

Colorado

rocky mountain national park

Rocky Mountain National Park (currently scheduled to be open from October 11 to 20)

New York

statue of liberty

Statue of Liberty National Monument (currently scheduled to be open from October 12 to 18)

North Carolina / Tennessee

national park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (currently scheduled to be open from October 16 to 20)

South Dakota

mount rushmore

Mount Rushmore National Memorial (currently scheduled to be open from October 14 to 23)

Utah

Arches National Park

All Utah parks are currently scheduled to be open from October 11 – 20

Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park

Sprague Lake Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park

One of the things that you’ll immediately notice when hiking around Sprague Lake (besides the beautiful scenery) at Rocky Mountain National Park are the large number of people fishing on the lake. The scenery combined with those fishing can make for some dramatic fishing photos:

fishing in Sprague Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park

Sprague Lake is the remnant of a resort once owned by Abner Sprague who used to stock the lake for fishermen visiting the resort, so there are plenty of fish in the waters. In fact, simply walking around the edges of the crystal clear water of Sprague Lake will usually allow you to see the fish within:

fish can be seen from the banks of Sprague Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park

Sprague Lake Hike Rocky Mountain National Park

The Sprague Lake Hike at Rocky Mountain National Park is an easy half mile loop around Sprague Lake at an elevation of 8,970 feet. The lake is actually the remnant of a resort once owned by Abner Sprague (where it gets its name) which he dammed in 1915 to make it about 13 acres. The trail is mostly dirt, but it’s level and wheelchair accessible with boardwalks along the trail where needed:

Sprague Lake hiking path at Rocky Mountain National Park

The hike provides numerous beautiful views of both the lake

Sprague Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park

and the surrounding mountains, including many peaks which make up the Continental Divide:

mountain view from Sprague Lake hike at Rocky Mountain National Park

It’s a wonderful place to take kids on an easy walk to see the outdoors. The lake is shallow with a large number of fish which can sometimes be seen from the lake’s bank (and there are plenty of fishermen around the lake as well).

10 Oldest National Parks

I received an email asking me “what are the 10 oldest national parks?” The first National Park was Yellowstone created in 1872. Number two was Sequoia National Park in 1890 along with Yosemite National Park the same year. While Kings Canyon National Park was established in 1940, it’s included with Sequoia National Park (they are connected) because Kings Canyon National Park incorporated General Grant National Park when it was created. General Grant National Park was established in 1890 to protect the General Grant Grove of giant sequoias, the same year as Sequoia National Park.


Yosemite National Park established in 1890

Here is a list of the 10 oldest National Parks in the National Park system:

1. Yellowstone National Park (1872)
2. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (Sequoia 1890)
2. Yosemite National Park (1890)
4. Mount Rainier National Park (1899)
5. Crater Lake National Park (1902)
6. Wind Cave National Park (1903)
7. Mesa Verde National Park (1906)
8. Glacier National Park (1910)
9. Rocky Mountain National Park (1915)
10. Haleakala National Park (1916)
10. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1916)
10. Lassen Volcanic National Park (1916)