Boy did Americans and other visitors make good use of US National Park Service sites in 2024 – enough to set a record.

The number of National Park Service employees who keep more than 400 sites running is dwindling thanks to layoffs, buyouts. Here's what it could mean for visitors this year.

There was no press release, no sparkling quote from the National Park Service's acting director, no agency public conversation about the record 331.9 million people who explored the National Park System in 2024.

After a complaint filed against the National Park Service over its policy to not accept cash payments at certain parks was tossed out last month, the fight is back on: One plaintiff maintains that the park service’s cashless policy is causing her harm.

"Quite simply and astonishingly, this is dismantling the National Park Service as we know it, ranger by ranger and brick by brick." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO

Efforts to end the National Park Service's growing policy not to accept cash at sites in the National Park System have been revived with an amended complaint filed in federal court in Washington.

Park rangers are crowdsourcing terminations and cataloging the number of National Park Service employees the Trump administration has fired across the country.

The National Park Service just reported the highest visitation in its history, as the administration conducts massive firings and threatens to close visitor centers and public safety facilities" -- NP

The No. 1 most visited NPS site is home to military sites such as the Presidio in San Francisco, and it supports 19 distinct ecosystems from seashore to redwood forests. Attendance jumped almost

Park advocates say recent staff layoffs and building lease terminations could have far-reaching implications for both the visitor experience and the protection of natural resources.