DOGE cuts National Park staff as visitation rate peaks

The Department of Government Efficiency cuts have affected most parts of the federal government, and cuts to the National Park Service‘s workforce come as visitation at the parks reaches new highs.

The NPS announced last week it had 331.9 million recreational visits to its various sites across the country in 2024, surpassing the record of 330.97 million visits in 2016. DOGE cuts have been responsible for at least 755 firings at the NPS, according to a report from Axios citing a tally conducted by park rangers. The NPS said it has a workforce of roughly 20,000 people and had more than 138,000 volunteers in fiscal 2024.