How the government shutdown impacts national parks in the Lake Superior region

As the federal government shutdown continues, impacts are being felt across the country’s national parks, including those in the Lake Superior region.

On Oct. 1, the shutdown led to furloughs for National Park Service staff, resulting in limited resource management and visitor access.

Tom Irvine, the executive director for the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, said the shutdown “Takes them down to just bare necessities to operate these parks.”

The five national parks in the Lake Superior region are the Grand Portage National Monument, Isle Royale National Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and Keweenaw National Historical Park. Irvine said the five parks are now being operated by essential workers who provide law enforcement and basic park services.

“It’s just bare bones,” Irvine said.

The location of the five national parks on Lake Superior | Graphic by National Park Service

For Isle Royale National Park, the government shutdown comes at a time when the park has already begun preparing for its seasonal closures. Given its remote and less accessible location on Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park closes seasonally from Nov. 1 through April 15. Many of the ferry transportation lines from Grand Portage or Houghton, Mich., have already ceased operation for the season.

At Grand Portage National Monument, however, the buildings, including the Heritage Visitor Center, closed on Oct. 1 due to the government shutdown. Visitors can walk the grounds, but will be unable to enter any buildings and view cultural or historical material. Similar closures of visitor centers and buildings are in effect at the other national parks within the Lake Superior region.

Grand Portage National Monument | Contributed by Dee Miller

A shutdown contingency plan released by the National Park Service late Tuesday said “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.” However, parks without “accessible areas” will be closed, and sites currently open could be closed if damage is done to park resources or garbage builds up, the plan says.

According to the contingency plan, 9,296 National Park Service staff across the nation have been furloughed.

As the national parks remain relatively open, but with limited resources, Irvine said the public should be prepared, plan the visit carefully, and “Don’t make the job of the existing staffers any more difficult by leaving a lot of trash or making a mess.”

The shutdown arrives as the National Park Service continues to grapple with the impacts of hiring freezes, early retirements, and cuts to federal workforce programs implemented under the Trump administration.

“So there’s been anywhere from 25-30% of the National Park Service staffing across the country that’s already been reduced over the last nine months,” Irvine said.

The National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation is a “philanthropic partner” of the five national parks within Lake Superior to raise money for projects and programs that benefit the parks, Irvine said. “So, for big projects or programs that the parks have going on, we could provide that little extra funding to make things happen. As we are right now.”

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Tom Irvine, executive director of the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, about the immediate impacts of the government shutdown on the national parks within the Lake Superior region.

Kalli Hawkins October 3, 2025