RMNP denies MSNBC report that Rocky will not open this summer

Story by Patti Brown

The local rumor mill went wild Monday night after broadcaster Rachel Maddow reported on her cable news show that Rocky Mountain National Park would not be open this summer due to staff cuts.

According to Kyle Patterson, management specialist and public affairs officer for RMNP, the Park has not announced any closures of RMNP and information shared by MSNBC was inaccurate.

The NPS has not provided any details about how many full-time, seasonal, and probationary staff members have been laid off or have not received contracts for the 2025 season since it was announced on Feb. 14 that the size of the NPS would be cut as part of the Trump Administration’s plan to downsize the federal workforce.

In addition, the NPCA is reporting that hundreds of vacant positions cannot be filled due to the federal hiring freeze, and some 700 people have accepted the “Fork in the Road” early retirement buyout plan.

At the same time, 7,700 seasonal positions may be exempt under the current hiring freeze, but with 80 days until the start of the Memorial Day weekend – the start of the summer visitor season – many seasonal employees who have worked for the NPS for years, including those in RMNP,  have not received contracts.

In an interview with one seasonal ranger who has worked in RMNP for more than a decade, the wait is worrisome. Usually, the ranger who begins work the first of May has a contract in hand by early February.  Every day that passes without a start date makes the future more uncertain.

One estimate of the immediate impact on Rocky is that 12 employees with less than a year of seniority in their roles have lost their jobs. At this time, the NPS has not verified this information.

Estes Park, the eastern threshold to RMNP, is the busiest gateway into the Park which sees more than 4 million visitors annually. The Park, which became a National Park on Jan. 26, 1915, is the fifth most visited national park in the U.S. The number one industry in Estes Park is tourism, generating 77.5% of local sales tax according to Visit Estes Park, the local marketing district. A shutdown of RMNP or limiting visitor access to the Park would inflict a severe blow to the Estes Valley’s hospitality industry.

According to Tracy Coppola, Colorado senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy organization that lobbies on behalf of its 1.6 million members on matters related to the NPS, 9% of NPS staff across the country have been lost to firings and resignations.