National Parks in Crisis or Opportunity? Slashing Budgets Needs Strategy

In February 2025, the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has significantly cut headcount and operating budgets of the National Park Service (NPS). We spent 2024 traveling around the US, with the NPS a guideline of where to find the highlights of America. In the scheme of things, with the United States trillions of dollars in debt and on the brink of world war, the public will likely have to accept some visitor center closures, snowy roads remaining un-plowed, and the junior ranger program going digital (sigh). There is a warm and fuzzy feeling towards the NPS, beautiful scenery, majestic sights and access to nature – but rarely considered is the strategic classification of land as NPS, whether it be critical infrastructure (e.g. dams, pipelines), military or natural resources.

National Parks in Crisis

National Parks in Crisis – those four words have been echoing across social media in recent years, reflecting growing worries about federal budget cuts, overstretched staffing, and decaying infrastructure within America’s most treasured landscapes. News headlines highlight overflowing trash bins, closed visitor centers, and scaled-back educational programs, painting a bleak picture. But is there a more constructive way to view this moment—one that involves streamlining operations, cultivating cross-sector collaborations, and strategically rethinking the services the National Park Service (NPS) provides?

As a freelance strategy consultant (and as travelers who visited 25 U.S. national parks in 2024, including raccoons at Pinnacles, Saguaro day trips to Tucson, and the North Cascades dam), we have seen firsthand how reduced funding and rising visitation have converged to test the limits of park staff and facilities. More importantly, we believe that strategic adjustments could help stabilize the system, bolster efficiency, and preserve the overall visitor experience. The same kind of cost-saving, service-oriented transformations seen in other industries—from transportation to technology—could be adapted to serve our parks if done with care and foresight.

This post shares a constructive outlook on the “crisis” narrative, grounded in data and personal observations. Along the way, we will discuss practical ways the NPS might integrate outsourcing, lean on state partnerships, and adjust non-core services like winter plowing. We will also examine how visitors, stakeholders, and policymakers can contribute to shaping a stronger future for these iconic public lands.

The Backdrop: Constraints and Pressures Shaping Today’s Parks

The National Park Service manages 85 million acres of land spread across 428 units, including 63 official national parks. These range from global icons like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to smaller, lesser-known parks like Pinnacles in California or North Cascades in Washington.

Yet for all the love Americans and international travelers bestow on these natural treasures, the agency that stewards them has wrestled with chronic underfunding and deferred maintenance for decades. According to various NPS budget documents and reports on nps.gov, billions of dollars in repairs to roads, facilities, water systems, and historic structures have been postponed due to insufficient federal appropriations. Worse still, a wave of staff reductions—exacerbated by layoffs in 2025—further strains park operations.

Add to that the consistent rise in visitation: official NPS visitation statistics indicate an increase of roughly 16% from 2010 to 2020, with an added surge as domestic travel rebounded post-COVID. The resulting overcrowding places extra burdens on staff, especially at popular parks. Where do strategy and efficiency come into play? In the private sector, lean budgets and higher demand often prompt companies to re-examine their core competencies, question longstanding service models, and cultivate strategic partnerships. The NPS could follow a similar path without undercutting its commitment to conservation.

Observations from Our 2024 Journey

In 2024, we embarked on a coast-to-coast road trip that encompassed 25 national parks across the United States. Our past experiences living and working in the country from 2016 to 2019 gave us a frame of reference to measure whether conditions had genuinely changed. In many respects, they had.

• Infrastructure Decay: We noted more visible signs of disrepair—restrooms in poor condition, broken or outdated educational signage, and sporadic upkeep along certain trails.
• Reduced Programs and Hours: Several parks had fewer ranger-led programs, and we saw temporary closures of smaller visitor centers and campgrounds due to staffing shortages.
• Volunteer Dependence: Despite volunteers stepping up to fill gaps, staff bandwidth had decreased, compromising both the level of service and the ability to maintain facilities.

While our experiences at Pinnacles, Saguaro, and North Cascades each revealed unique nuances, the common thread was an operating environment where every staffing hour or maintenance dollar had to stretch further than before. This predicament is not unique to the NPS. Countless public and private organizations have navigated similar shortfalls, sometimes turning toward strategic approaches such as outsourcing specialized tasks or re-calibrating their service portfolios. Could some of these tactics help reduce pressure on the national parks, ensuring that rangers have more capacity for conservation work?

From Shortfalls to Strategic Thinking

When budget cuts loom, an immediate reaction is often to pursue across-the-board cost reductions. Yet a more strategic lens involves asking which services are truly “core” to the mission and which could be outsourced or handled via partnerships. For the National Park Service, core responsibilities include:

• Conserving natural and cultural resources
• Providing interpretive services and education to visitors
• Ensuring public safety and protecting wildlife and landscapes

Non-core tasks might involve everything from operating lodging facilities to managing general retail concessions. Certain responsibilities—like plowing remote roads in winter—could be reevaluated for cost-effectiveness, especially if usage is limited during colder months.

In many industries, outsourcing or “managed services” is not merely about reducing headcount; it’s about transferring specialized, non-mission-critical work to partners who can deliver equal or better quality at a potentially lower cost. For instance:

• Retail and Concessions: Many parks already allow third-party operators to run gift shops or dining facilities. Strategic outsourcing can optimize inventory, pricing, and staffing, freeing up NPS employees to focus on natural and cultural resource protection.
• Routine Maintenance: Tasks like trash pickup, landscaping, or routine facility cleaning could be outsourced to vendors specializing in these services, releasing NPS staff to devote more attention to interpretive services and visitor engagement.
• Shuttle Services: Popular parks often rely on shuttle buses to manage congestion. Contracts with experienced transportation providers could ensure reliable operations without requiring the NPS to hire, train, and manage drivers, mechanics, and dispatchers.

These shifts are not without potential pitfalls. Over-reliance on external partners could lead to uneven service if profit motives overshadow visitor experience. It also requires rigorous contract oversight to ensure alignment with conservation principles. However, if approached thoughtfully, outsourcing can shore up operational gaps while preserving the NPS’s core identity.

A Changing Landscape: Where Funding Meets Efficiency

Before exploring specific recommendations, let’s acknowledge the big-picture factors pushing the NPS toward leaner operations:

• Federal Cost-Cutting: Public land management agencies often deal with unpredictable budgets. If long-term funding for the NPS continues to decline or stagnate, the agency must find ways to do more with less—or at least maintain critical functions despite smaller budgets.
• Overcrowding: High visitation adds pressure on infrastructure and staff resources, making “efficiency” not just about saving money but also sustaining quality visitor experiences.
• Evolving Public Expectations: Modern travelers expect convenient reservation systems, timely condition updates, and robust educational content. Meeting these expectations requires leveraging technology and strategic partnerships.
• Cost-of-Living Pressures: With inflation and economic challenges, more Americans opt for local or budget-friendly travel, which can concentrate visitor impacts at accessible parks.

Within this context, strategic cost-saving isn’t about sacrificing the essence of the national park experience. Instead, it’s about ensuring the NPS can uphold its foundational mission—conservation, education, public enjoyment—without allowing outdated processes and non-core functions to siphon away precious resources.

Re-imagining Non-Core Work: Outsourcing and Synergy

One well-known framework in corporate strategy is to identify and invest heavily in core competencies, while outsourcing activities less central to the mission. For the NPS, such a strategy might be summarized as: “We exist to protect resources and deliver a meaningful visitor experience. Everything else is negotiable.”

Potential applications include:

• Grounds Upkeep and Janitorial Services: Contracting with specialized vendors might improve consistency in cleanliness, freeing NPS personnel to focus on interpretive roles. Any cost savings can be reinvested in staff training or essential facility upgrades.
• Trail Maintenance Partnerships: Local hiking clubs, volunteer groups, or state park crews can share the workload of upkeep. Volunteer-driven programs already exist but could be scaled or formalized, reducing reliance on NPS staff for routine trail work.
• Technology Solutions: Partnering with tech companies for reservation systems can lower administrative overhead. Collecting visitor data via smartphone apps can inform real-time crowd control, potentially improving the experience and reducing wear on heavily visited spots.

Outsourcing doesn’t eliminate the need for oversight. In fact, it elevates the importance of contract management within the NPS. Ensuring quality, enforcing standards, and verifying that outsourced partners adhere to conservation principles demands robust structures. Yet the potential for improved efficiency is significant.

Rethinking Service Offerings: The Winter Plowing Debate

One hotly debated topic in park management is the necessity—and cost—of plowing roads in remote areas during winter. Some national parks close roads for much of the snowy season due to avalanche risk or the expense of continuous plowing. From a strategic perspective, the NPS might analyze factors such as:

• Average Winter Visitation: If only a small number of visitors use certain roads in December through February, is the expense justified?
• Maintenance and Safety Trade-Offs: Providing winter access may require extensive outlays on plowing, avalanche control, and emergency services—potentially diverting funds from other core priorities.
• Potential User-Pays Models: Could special fees for winter backcountry access offset the plowing expense, or should the NPS restrict winter road access altogether?

While parks already conduct cost-benefit analyses, political or public-relations pressures often influence decisions to keep roads open for winter enthusiasts. Yet a more selective approach—plowing only the most critical or popular routes—might minimize costs and environmental impacts while preserving some winter recreation opportunities.

Opportunities for Collaboration: Federal, State, and Private Partnerships

The increasingly discussed notion of returning certain federally managed lands or operations to state oversight raises questions about consistency and legal protections. However, carefully structured partnerships could yield benefits:

• State Parks Collaboration: In states with robust park systems (e.g., California, Washington, Colorado), coordination can create economies of scale for maintenance, staffing, and visitor management. Formal partnerships—such as sharing equipment—could lower costs without undermining federal standards.
• Shared Transportation Initiatives: Collaborating with state or municipal transportation agencies might streamline road maintenance or bus services, reducing the NPS’s direct financial burden. This model could be especially helpful in areas where highways traverse national park property.
• Public-Private Conservation Models: Many park units already partner with philanthropic groups or “Friends of the Park” organizations to fund capital projects. Scaling these models could attract further private support, as long as oversight remains strong and conservation goals remain paramount.

A complete handover to state authorities may raise fears about diluting the “national” status of these parks and eroding uniform conservation norms. However, a middle-ground strategy—joint operations or resource-sharing—can address immediate budgetary constraints without relinquishing essential federal oversight.

Aligning Economic Realities with Public Demand

The shifting economic landscape in the United States also influences how national parks are used and funded. The rising cost of living has led more middle-class families to opt for shorter or local vacations:

• Heavier Weekend and Holiday Crowds: Parks near metropolitan areas experience intense surges in visitation, straining infrastructure.
• Limited Revenue from Entrance Fees: Even modest fee increases can trigger public outcry, yet budgets remain tight, necessitating creative revenue approaches.
• Pressure on “Secondary” Parks: Sites like Pinnacles or Saguaro, once overshadowed by bigger-name destinations like Yosemite, face increased visitation as travelers seek less-crowded alternatives.

Strategic measures that directly address these changes include:

• Refined Fee Structures: Tiered or dynamic pricing can encourage off-peak visits, potentially deterring peak overcrowding and raising funds for maintenance.
• Comprehensive Reservation Systems: Timed-entry options reduce congestion and distribute visitor arrivals. Smaller parks might handle surges more effectively with such systems.
• In-Park Revenue Opportunities: Selling specialized experiences, such as behind-the-scenes tours, can subsidize improvements while giving visitors premium options.

Balancing affordability, access, and sustainability remains a delicate task. However, these tactics—combined with cost-saving partnerships—could enable the NPS to meet evolving demographic pressures without eroding the essence of the visitor experience.

Practical Guidelines for Visitors in a Changing Park System

While the NPS contemplates strategic shifts, visitors themselves can help maintain park quality. Consider these practices:

• Plan Visits Off-Peak: Midweek or shoulder-season travel relieves staff and infrastructure, easing crowd-related strain.
• Leverage Technology: Many parks share real-time updates on parking and trail conditions. Using reservation systems or apps can minimize frustration.
• Respect Service Limitations: When certain roads or restrooms are closed, assume cost or safety factors underlie those decisions.
• Support Volunteer Programs: Participating in trail maintenance days or donating to “Friends of the Park” groups can relieve staff workloads.
• Advocate for Sustainable Funding: Reach out to elected officials about the importance of NPS budgets and watch for legislation impacting park management.

Even small adjustments can significantly reduce strain on resources, ultimately benefiting the overall visitor experience.

Constructing a Viable Future: Efficiency Without Sacrificing Legacy

“National Parks in Crisis” often conjures images of shuttered facilities and degraded trails. While the challenges are indeed significant—especially evident from our 2024 journey—they also present an opportunity to modernize how these lands are managed. A strategic view underscores:

• The NPS must focus on its core mandates: conservation, public safety, and education.
• Non-core tasks can be streamlined via outsourcing, inter-agency collaboration, or volunteer support.
• Services like plowing remote winter roads warrant fresh scrutiny over cost-effectiveness.
• State park systems and private entities can be valuable allies when accountability and transparency are upheld.
• Fee and reservation systems will likely evolve to address crowding and budget shortfalls, provided they remain equitable.

It’s worth remembering that the national park concept was once a radical idea. Over time, the NPS has weathered political swings, shifting travel trends, and budget crises—often emerging more adaptable for a new era.

Navigating an Uncertain Future of Parks and Policy

Across these discussions, we’ve highlighted how strategic outsourcing, collaborative partnerships, and targeted re-calibration of services might help the National Park Service survive budget cuts and staffing shortfalls. Yet even the most effective plans must account for a larger backdrop—one in which the United States appears to face decline, federal programs contend with “deep DOGE cuts,” and radical transformations powered by artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and the metaverse loom on the horizon.

How might these seismic shifts impact national parks? Could sweeping austerity measures undermine conservation goals? Or can new technologies, alongside global sustainability targets, reshape and even expand our parks beyond current imagination? Key areas to watch include:

• Global Economic Strains: Perceived national decline can cut federal allocations, intensifying a push toward outsourcing or local management. If state budgets also tighten, tough decisions—such as permanently closing certain roads—may follow.
• Disruptive Technologies: AI and immersive tech might revolutionize crowd management, predictive maintenance, or visitor engagement. The metaverse could birth “digital national parks,” alleviating physical overcrowding but raising questions about authenticity and access.
• WEF SDGs, Carbon Credits, and Expanded Parklands: World Economic Forum sustainability objectives might lead to an expanded network of protected or “no-go” areas to boost carbon sequestration. This could potentially limit public access, sparking debates over equitable recreation versus urgent ecological needs.
• Maintaining Services and Performance: Outsourcing non-core functions and leveraging AI-driven resource allocation could offset staffing losses. Yet without robust oversight, the NPS risks subjugating conservation priorities to profit motives or digital novelty.

Yes, the national mood can feel pessimistic. Yes, the rapid ascent of technology complicates how we define “visitor experience.” And yes, sustainability mandates might alter our relationship with protected lands. Even so, places like Pinnacles, Saguaro, and North Cascades remain areas of outstanding natural beauty. Whether future generations explore them in person or via augmented reality, stewardship will demand creative policies that balance public access with urgent conservation.

Periods of uncertainty can spawn innovative ideas, much like how the foundational vision for national parks once broke new ground in land protection. With careful planning, partnerships, and appropriate application of technologies, the parks might once again become a model for preserving—and adapting—cherished public resources in times of change. The challenge lies in ensuring these innovations serve the public good, rather than funneling nature’s grandeur into exclusive venues or virtual replicas that overshadow the genuine wonder of the wild.

In the end, whether the United States is truly declining or simply transforming, national parks still stand as emblematic of the nation’s ethos. They represent not only America’s natural splendor but also a collective decision to safeguard these lands for all. As budgets tighten, technologies evolve, and global sustainability efforts escalate, the fate of these parks hangs in the balance—demanding fresh approaches that integrate efficiency, collaboration, and an unyielding commitment to their original purpose.

References and Further Reading

• National Park Service Official Website
• NPS Annual Visitation Statistics
• National Park Foundation
• National Parks Conservation Association
• Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
• National Parks and Big Oil

A truly strategic approach need not diminish the beauty of places like Saguaro’s cactus forests or North Cascades’ rugged glaciers. Instead, it can safeguard them, ensuring that tighter budgets and larger crowds do not overshadow the core reason so many of us journey to these landscapes: to witness and learn from nature’s grandeur, under responsible management that endures for generations to come. By embracing pragmatic, well-planned changes, we provide our parks the best chance at sustained success, preserving a key piece of America’s natural heritage well into the future.