Yosemite National Park accessible during government shutdown

Associated Press

This Jan. 14, 2015, file photo, shows El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, Calif. Two climbers have set a new speed record for ascending the famous Nose route of El Capitan, one of the world's most technical and dangerous verticals. Alex Honnold and his climbing partner Tommy Caldwell on Wednesday, May 30, 2018, raced up the nearly 90-degree, 2,900-foot precipice in 2 hours 10 minutes 15 seconds.
*AP Photo/Ben Margot, File*

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — The entrances to Yosemite National Park stayed open but visitor centers were closed, National Park Service programs were canceled and campgrounds were not staffed as a partial government shutdown took effect Saturday.

Yosemite, which draws more than 6 million visitors a year, is a popular destination during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Park concessionaires, including hotels, restaurants, stores and gas stations, remained opened and seemed unaffected by the shutdown.

Jade Lezon, a cashier at the El Portal Market near the park entrance, says “It’s basically free to get in the park and people are coming and going as they please.”

In San Francisco, the company that provides ferry services to Alcatraz Island kept its daytime tours but canceled its behind-the-scenes and night tours.

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