Marin national parks poised to re-open as federal shutdown winds down

October 18, 2013

The gates to the Muir Woods National Monument and Stinson Beach are expected to swing open as soon as Thursday morning as the federal shutdown appeared to be coming to an end.

Visitors to Muir Woods were still being turned away Wednesday afternoon, as they have been since Oct. 1.

"As soon as the order is lifted we will begin ramping up again and resume operations," said Alex Picavet, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. "The gates at Muir Woods and Stinson could open by Thursday morning."

At the Point Reyes National Seashore, Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said she expects the park's visitor centers to re-open along with trails and roads.

"We will be taking down barriers and closure signs and open things back up," she said. "It's been a hard two weeks. We have had a lot of disappointed visitors. It's difficult telling them that their national park is closed."

At the seashore all visitor facilities including the Bear Valley, Point Reyes Lighthouse and Ken Patrick visitor centers were closed. The Point Reyes Hostel, four back country campgrounds and Clem Miller Education Center were locked up as well.

It could take some time before operations are running smoothly. Concessionaires who run everything from horse stables to cafes may not immediately be ready to handle visitors. Park employees, who scattered during the shutdown, may need to time to get back to their jobs, officials said.

During the shutdown the Golden Gate National Recreation Area placed 180 employees on furlough, while 70 remain on duty for safety and law enforcement. The Point Reyes National Seashore has 90 workers on furlough, with 24 remaining on duty.

The Bay Model Visitors Center in Sausalito, a popular attraction for schools, was also shuttered. The federal action also closed other national parks in the region, including Alcatraz Island.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, called the shutdown a "tragic episode that accomplished nothing."

The congressman was poised to vote to end the closure Wednesday night.

"There were no victories, just losers," Huffman said from Washington, D.C. "The only thing you can say is that tonight we are able to cut our losses. My hope is that some lessons were learned from those who took us into this crisis and that it won't be repeated."


Source: By Mark Prado