Government shutdown would mean locked gates, furloughed rangers at national parks

The main entrance to Grand Canyon National Park is shown in October 2013, when it was closed due to a government shutdown. But this year, Grand Canyon National Park and all five national parks in Utah will remain open if the U.S. government shuts down. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox say the parks are important destinations and local communities depend on dollars from visitors. (Associated Press file photo)

PHOENIX — Entrances to national parks will be blocked and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed if Congress doesn’t reach a budget agreement this weekend, the Department of Interior said Friday.

The stance is a reversal from five years ago, when the Trump administration kept some parks open in a move that was lambasted as illegal by the Government Accountability Office, the congressional watchdog.