Coming to A National Park for Spring Break? Great - But Be Careful.
Here's what DOGE staff reductions mean on the ground.
If you're a teacher or a parent - or a college student - you've probably either already planned out a spring break trip or you’re searching frantically for last-minute deals.
Passt! Spring break is a great time to show your support for our country's fabulous network of national parks. It's generally still too cold in March to hit the beach in Florida, and even in much of the near Caribbean. So you might as well leave your passport at home for this one.
In the wake of draconian federal budget-cutting, strong pressure for government workers to justify their jobs - something the person demanding all of this was not asked to do, funnily enough - and the ensuing 30,000+ eliminations, I would love to see thousands of tourists and nature lovers flock to any and all of our iconic national parks, just to show DOGE how necessary they and their staff really are.
But I know that would make everyone's time at the park harder and their trips more dangerous. I know that not only because it's common sense, but because the town where my partner, Dave, and I live thrives on the tourism generated by Joshua Tree National Park, less than a ten-minute jaunt from our home.
JTNP got 3.2 million visitors in 2023, the most recent year for which there's full data. And I believe it: The crowded parking lots and thick traffic in town are continuous proof. While I'm stuck in that traffic, I listen to the radio. All year long, our local station broadcasts safety tips for visitors and greenhorns like we were when we moved here in 2022.
National parks are, of course, not exactly “parks" in the sense of manicured, semi-supervised green recreation spaces. While it's always nice to get outside and get some fresh air, planned city parks aren't exactly the Great Outdoors.
National parks, however, are precisely the Great Outdoors at their most magnificent. They're more like incredibly scenic wildlife preserves open to the public than city parks. During your visit, you're sharing the space with all manner of animals whose home you're invading: Wolves, foxes, eagles, snakes, scorpions, vultures, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, moose, bears, and more can all be found within our park system. Usually, they won't want to approach humans, but if repeated encounters have taught them that people usually have food, they just might.
And generally, no attempt is made to make the parks safer: You hike, camp, climb, and explore at your own risk. It's your responsibility not to fall into a crevasse or a crevice, get lost in the forest, dive into a body of water you know nothing about, fall off a cliff trying to take a selfie, or let yourself tire, overheat, or get thirsty to a dangerous degree.
That last one - that's a little more boring than the others, isn't it? You're having a fun adventure, a vacation - quit being a downer about safety! You're acting just like Mom. Everything will be fine! Right?
I mean … probably!
The Parks System itself warns us that an average of 358 people die in our national parks each year. Very few of them arrive expecting never to go home. And when you get into trouble, it's liable to because some silly, dumb little thing went wrong and set off a chain reaction.
At Joshua Tree National Park, the first thing to worry about is running into trouble because of exposure. It can get above 110° in the park pretty reliably in the summer - but it doesn't have to be nearly that hot for someone to overheat and become uncomfortable or even unsafe outdoors.
It might be even more difficult for you if you take certain medications that make you feel warmer, if you’re a little out of shape and pushing hard to hike all over the place, or if you're just running low on supplies like water, ice, cooling cloths, and personal fans (or batteries and charging cords).
And I'll just say it: If you come here to do drugs - or worse, to detox in nature - and you get so disconnected from reality that you get lost, you're in for a bad trip in more ways than one. And you might have bought a one-way ticket.
The story of a young man who died alone in the park last spring, hoping to wait out alcohol withdrawal as he was getting sober, will haunt me for a long time.
One thing visitors don't realize is that the inside of the park is pretty much the same landscape as outside. That means even residents of this area drive to the doctor and the grocery store with extra water and other supplies in our cars, just in case something happens.
It's sobering to think about, even though it's completely possible to have a comfortable, safe time if you're prepared. But what does all this have to do with DOGE?
Well. We're down six park rangers at JTNP, thanks to the First Buddy's fatuous firing frenzy - regardless of whether we do actually need workers in affected positions or not.
Six jobs have been cut? Oh, cry me a river, right? Sure, it's a drop in the bucket compared to what federal workers have been through as a whole in the past month. But our park was only half-staffed to begin with. That means every loss hurts.
So what effect could this have on your vacation? First of all, yes, you should still come. February, March, and early April are great times to experience the magic of this uniquely otherworldly desertscape in comfort and safety (although in April, it'll be warm). And if this park isn't your cup of tea, you should still plan a trip to another one.
But it means longer lines getting in. There are two entrances to the park—three if you count one really weird, inconvenient one. Will the park have enough resources to man the two main entrances? We'll see. Just make sure you've taken a bathroom break before your vehicle gets in line.
And it means more waiting if you have a problem. There are people to contact if someone else is parked in the campsite you reserved, if your car or RV won't start, or if you have a medical issue. But they won't be able to get to you as quickly, so stay away from slithery, pinchy critters. Don't get too close to the jumping cholla, either - and that goes for your dog times a zillion. Puppy snoots seem to be cactus magnets.
Most importantly, though, the staff shortage means that, if you have a real problem—I mean if you or someone in your party gets lost, if someone has heatstroke, or if there's a bad injury—it’s going to take much longer to get help. Remember, you probably won't have phone service, so calling 911 is out.
Those six park rangers mostly had what have been mysteriously called “indoor jobs." But it was noted that these folks also joined search parties when visitors went missing.
Imagine that your kid or your husband or your dad is missing. You'd be freaking out. After all, the desert is like the ocean in that sometimes, you can't tell one square foot of the surface from another. And that mountain you were using as a landmark? It can look totally different if you take just ten steps right or left.
Add in some heat, more walking than you usually do, less water than you usually drink, and lots of loose rocks and stumps to twist an ankle on—and to dislodge bitey critters from—and then remember there are six fewer bodies to help look for people who get turned around. There are 12 fewer eyes to spot the flash of a lime-green belt bag or the red of a baseball cap and recover your loved one before tragedy strikes.
I mean, it's not ideal. An understaffed park is not the experience the rangers or the locals want for you as you explore our desert home.
But if we can live here safely all year round, then you can visit safely for a week! Here are some pointers - and really, they’re good for almost any outdoor vacation where it's going to be hot:
Bring a satellite phone or two. Make sure you look up the numbers you may want or need to call beforehand, since you probably won't have service inside the park.
Have everyone in your group wear the same distinctive accessory every day in case you need to spot someone quickly. A lanyard in highlighter yellow, a bright blue hat, pink hiking boots or sneakers would all work.
Bring way more water than you think you'll need. Residents do this even when running quick errands! Bring so much water that at least one person in your group says, “Jeez, why are we bringing all this water?!”
After you get sweaty, you'll get cold. Bring a sweater.
Pack salty snacks to keep your electrolytes up if you're going to be walking, hiking, or climbing.
Pack a robust first-aid kit. Again: way more stuff than you think you'll need. Everything from Allegra to Zantac.
Know where everyone in your party is supposed to be and at what times. Get everyone to wear a watch (not rely on phones, which can die or fall out of a pocket or be dropped in use) and synchronize them. You can even bring a notebook for people to sign in and out of your campsite with their destination and their ETA back at camp.
Let's take every opportunity possible to show DOGE how much Americans value their precious national parks! Be patient when you go - and be safe.
