National Park Alerts

The Picnic Area, Washington Family Burial Ground, and Potomac River Beach are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

The Visitor Center is open Wednesday - Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Due to constriction for the Long Bridge Project, the Mount Vernon Trail will be temporarily detoured around the construction zone beginning on July 15, 2026. Trail users should expect periodic crossings of equipment and materials where the trail meets the construction access road. Detour will be in place through 2030.

Temporary Closure of the Clara Barton Parkway Right Lane at Site 17, wooded areas between C&O Canal and Lock 10 parking lot, north to Lock 14, required to address ongoing safety concerns from DC Water emergency sanitary sewer overflow & bypass and pipe repair operations. Click on "More" below for specific details on the closure.

Beginning on Monday, November 17, 2025, expect intermittent traffic impacts at GWMP. This Bridge and pavement preservation work is expected to extend into the Fall of 2026 and will make repairs to 24 GWMP bridges and over 30 paved roads and parking assets. To minimize traffic impacts, weekday lane closures on George Washington Memorial Parkway, Clara Barton Parkway, and Spout Run Parkway will NOT be allowed inbound to DC from 5:30am to 9:30am and outbound from DC from 2:30pm to 7:30pm Monday through Friday.

Northbound lanes between Spout Run Parkway and Route 123 will close Mondays through Thursdays  from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  from Aug. 10 – Sept. 1 for tree maintenance.

Three of the four lanes on the GWMP at Little Hunting Creek Bridge will close from 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, to 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17, and from 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, to 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24. Only one lane will remain open during these periods. Flaggers will alternate northbound and southbound traffic through the open lane. Drivers should expect major delays during the Friday morning and evening commutes and the Monday morning commute. Allow extra time or use another route.

The David Wills House is currently closed. No known reopening date is available. Please visit our David Wills House web page for more information and a 3D tour of the house.

A renovation project for the nearby Comfort Station requires electrical service to be shut off. This shut off affects lighting in the spiral staircase leading up to the Pennsylvania Memorial observation deck. The staircase is now too dark to maintain visitors’ safety. The observation deck will remain closed until the Comfort Station project is complete in early-to-mid November. Note: The base of the Pennsylvania Memorial remains open to visitation during this time.

There is NO water at the scorpion campgrounds and the trailhead for the cliff dwellings. Water is available at the Visitor Center, Woody's corral and TJ's corral.

Pack it in, pack it out! There are no trash services in or around the monument. All food & trash must be secured inside a vehicle. Ravens routinely open zipped bags & tear into trash bags left outside or in the bed of a truck.

Pets are not allowed onto the Gila Cliff Dwelling Trail. Kennels are available at the Trailhead on a First Come First Serve basis and are available to those that are going on the Cliff Dwelling Trail not the Wilderness trails.

In 2026, Two Medicine's North Shore Trailhead is not accessible due to construction in the Two Medicine Campground. A reroute has been established to access the North Shore Trail but does require a ford (unbridged water crossing). Directional signage is in place marking the reroute. Hikers may also access Twin Falls, Upper Two Medicine Lake, No Name Lake, and Dawson Pass without a ford, by using the South Shore Trail. Note: this adds approximately 1 mile of distance, one-way.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open for the 2026 summer season. The road may now be accessed by motorized vehicles over Logan Pass from both the West Glacier and St. Mary Entrances.

Lake level changes will influence the functionality of all launch ramps. Find updated status of all launch ramps at the link.

Temporary closure to bicycles and vehicles for drain clearing and vegetation brushing along Long Avenue. Pedestrians may proceed with caution. To access Fort Point, visitors must detour through West Bluff parking lot to Marine Drive. Please obey the traffic controls and stay out of the work zone.

Fires allowed ONLY in park provided concrete fire rings between Stairwells 15 and 20. Do NOT make fire rings using rocks, logs or other items. When the Bay Area Air Quality Management District declares a Spare the Air Day, NO campfires, beach fires, or outdoor grills are allowed in the park. For more information, visit the beach fire regulations link below.

Road crew will be traveling to work sites via Bobcat Trail to perform repair work on a section of Coastal Trail from the intersection of Fox to the intersection of Pirates Cove Trail. Work will start on August 24 and last for approximately two weeks. 8 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday. Once that section is complete work will start from Pirates Cove to the intersection of Tennessee Valley. Please obey closures and stay away from work sites. Signage will be posted near trail and road intersections.

Project continues with improvements to the lower terrace and picnic areas, rehabbing the interior and exterior of the bathhouse, and installing seating and foot wash station near beach. Projects are expected to take 16-18 months. See link for details.

Roads and parking areas at upper Fort Mason will have closures during utilities and seismic retrofit projects. Closures planned Fall 2025 through Fall 2026. Lots will be fenced and used as staging areas for projects occurring at Fort Mason. Signs will be posted in advance of utilities work as project progresses through each area at Fort Mason. Read signs and do not park in posted areas. Vehicles will be towed at owner's expense.

To prevent dog-coyote conflicts, avoid seasonally closed sections of the Park Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail to dog walking. Explore open dog-friendly trails instead and remember to keep dogs on leash. Visit the Presidio Trust's website for more details.

The FRONT GATE of Fort Jay is temporarily closed to all. The fort is currently open to visitation Wednesday thru Sunday 10am to 4pm. Access to the fort will be via the western or rear sallyport.

Visit this link for a list of the available visitor services in Grand Canyon Village, Desert View, and the North Rim.

Map apps may direct you to Parashant if you search for directions to "Grand Canyon" due the canyon's name in both the national park and monument names. The national park has paved roads and services. Parashant has no services and rugged/remote conditions.

Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) are required by law to display a valid OHV decal to operate on public and state trust lands in Arizona. This includes “street legal” vehicles that meet these two requirements.

Death Canyon Road and Trailhead are closed to all use. Start hikes at alternative trailheads such as Granite Canyon, LSR Preserve, and Taggart Lake.

If parking lots become full, there will be a temporary closure of the park entrance at Georgetown Pike & Old Dominion Drive. The park entrance will re-open as soon as space becomes available. For updated information about parking, call Visitor Center at 703-757-3101

The Aid Box rock climbing area is temporarily closed due to a recent rock topple.

As of August 18th, Great Sand Dunes is under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. All wood and charcoal fires must be in established fire rings in designated campsites or picnic sites. No other open fires are allowed. Fires MUST BE put out COLD before leaving your site and must not be left unattended. camp stoves and other pressurized gas devices allowed.

Sand boarding and sand sled rentals are located in local communities surrounding the park. Visitors are encouraged to arrange rentals BEFORE coming to the park.

Due to the need for improvements in Piñon Flats Campground, sites can be reserved 3 months in advance beginning in 2026.

Straight Fork and the one-way section of Balsam Mountain Road (Heintooga Round-Bottom Road) are closed.

Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to motor vehicles every Wednesday through September 30. This allows pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy the cove without the presence of vehicles on the roadway.

Metcalf Bottoms Bridge is closed to pedestrians due to bridge damage. Visitors will not be able to walk from the picnic area across the bridge to access the Metcalf Bottoms Trail. Parking for the trail is limited near the trailhead.

Abrams Falls Trail is closed Mondays-Thursdays through September 30 to replace aging footlog bridges and improve visitor safety. The trail will open to hikers Fridays-Sundays and on Labor Day during construction.

Park Headquarters Road is closed due to rehabilitation work on the Sugarlands water and wastewater systems.

All vehicles parking for longer than 15 minutes require a parking tag. Three tag durations are available for purchase for all vehicle sizes and types: Daily ($5), Weekly ($15), or Annual ($40).

Starting August 14th, 2025 the park store will go cashless. All major credit cards, debit cards and mobile electronic payments will be accepted.

The Williams Ranch Road is currently impassable and closed to public access due to unsafe conditions.

Fort Barrancas is open 9 am–4 pm Wednesday through Sunday. To access Fort Barrancas, visitors will need to enter the Naval Air station Pensacola through the west gate.

The Battery 234 Loop Road and Battery Cooper within the GUIS, Fort Pickens Management Area will be closed to all for vehicle, bicyclists, and foot (pedestrian) traffic until further notice for safety purposes until the park can correct the leaning and structurally unstable historic Tower 234 that poses danger to visitors and staff. The beach access points for pedestrians from the Gulf (south) side will also be closed. The pipe gates at the entrance and exit points will be locked with accompanied signage.

Dogs and pets are not allowed on any of the beaches in Gulf Islands National Seashore. Visit the pet rules page for information.

Due to a high volume of traffic, cars may be temporarily turned around at the gate when capacity is reached. Purchasing a pass online does not guarantee entry at sunset. To ensure timely access, arrive 3 hours before sunset. 

Nēnē (Hawaiian geese) and ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel) are nesting in the park and may land on or frequent park roads, parking lots, and road leading up to the park. Drivers are reminded to drive at the posted speed limits and exercise caution.

Beginning Monday, January 12, 2026 Haleakalā Visitor Center (summit district) parking lot will have limited parking due to a water infrastructure project. Expect traffic delays. The project will last several months.

Update 8/21/26: The Summit District of Haleakalā National Park including Haleakalā Crater remains closed until further notice as recovery from Tropical Storm Lala continues. It will reopen when it is safe to do so. Kīpahulu District, including Pīpīwai Trail, is open. For safety, visitors and local residents should respect all State and County road closures. For county road closures, visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/road-closures. This alert will only be updated if conditions change.

As of September 30, 2025, water at Hosmer Campground in the Summit District is shutoff due to a waterline break. Water is available 24-hours at Headquarters Visitor Center one mile up the road. At this point we don't have an estimate for when repairs will be complete.

Traffic in the Baltimore area has increased considerably in recent months due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge which connected the Baltimore beltway. Please check the latest traffic conditions to plan your travel accordingly.

The Lower Farm parking lot near the Mule Barn is closed due to the Legacy Restoration Fund Project. The Upper parking lot located near the Orangery has reduced capacity due to a partial closure because of the Legacy Restoration Fund Project. To learn more about parking at Hampton NHS, click the link or visit the alerts page and then scroll down to the area that talks about parking.

We do not mail Junior Ranger books; please download from site. Completed books may be submitted digitally. Junior Ranger badges may be mailed once per person per calendar year after completion. We do not mail completed books back.