I have plans to visit a couple of National Parks next week. If the shut down happens will I be allowed to enter the park? I have a lifetime pass.

If I go past a no entry sign who will be there to give me a ticket? Even Clark Griswald got to go on rides when Wally World was closed for maintenance so I should be able to kick some rocks and snap a photo or two.

Does anyone have experience with any of the last couple of shut downs and entering a National Park?

I was just thinking about this, too, as we were planning on Glacier next weekend.

You'll have to wait to see - previous lockdowns have had different impacts. There will be announcements re National Parks when/if a lockdown happens.

Utah has vowed to use state funds to keep its national parks open. We did the last time there was a shut down. Not keeping the parks open would have a huge negative impact on local communities.

Arizona's governor has also vowed to keep the Grand Canyon open.

Here is an article about the potential shutdown. https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/a-government-shutdown-is-looming-heres-what-it-means-for-national-parks/

Kureiff, if I get arrested can I call you for help with my one phone call?

If you have to fly to reach a national park, a bigger problem could be flight delays/cancellations due to reduced TSA and air traffic control staffs. These people are required to work without paychecks, but how many do you suppose will get the flu?

There are quite a few National Parks that don't have entrance gates. The buildings (including bathrooms) will be locked since there will be no one to staff them. Before traveling long distances to visit a National Park, check the NPS website or the website of the park you wanted to visit for the latest news.
In other news, Jimmy Carter's 99th birthday celebration will take place on Saturday to avoid problems with the shutdown on Sunday which is his (and my) birthday..
I plan to be in Crater Lake NP at the Pumice Desert on October 14 about 8AM to view the annular (ring of fire) solar eclipse. I'm hoping they don't put up the barricades on the north entrance and just leave them there for the winter. At the max of the eclipse, the sun will be 88.8% covered by the moon in the northern part of Crater Lake NP. Contact me if you want to plan a GTG at that time.

We visited a couple National Parks in California and Arizona during a shutdown and they were open -- no Park Rangers but otherwise no problems. I think it depends on the Park as others have mentioned some states will pay or private organizations help out.

We got caught in a shutdown while camping in Yosemite in the 90's. We had gone on a hike and when we came back, there was a note on our picnicd table telling us to pack up and leave. However, this shut down did not apply to people staying at the Awahnee Inn because that is a private concession not a government entity.