Capitol Reef National Park in Utah closed to the public on Thursday due to the coronavirus pandemic/NPS file

Capitol Reef National Park, the last of Utah's "Mighty Five" to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, closed to the public Thursday, while Padre Island National Seashore in Texas announced it would close through the weekend and reopen on Monday, April 13.

Capitol Reef's closure includes "all recreational and overnight activities, such as camping, hiking, backpacking, and canyoneering. The Cathedral Valley Road, Hartnet Road, State Route 24, Notom-Bullfrog Road, and Burr Trail will remain open to pass-through traffic only," a park release said.

"We have been working closely with Wayne and Garfield counties and the State of Utah to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the state’s ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ order,” park Superintendent Sue Fritzke said. “Continued recreational activities in Capitol Reef National Park made it hard to maintain the thresholds needed to ensure a safe visit, which is why this temporary closure is so important. I’d like to express my appreciation to both Wayne and Garfield counties and the state for helping us keep visitors and our communities safe during this situation."

At Padre Island, staff said that in coordination with Nueces County and the city of Corpus Christi, Padre Island National Seashore will be temporarily closing for the upcoming weekend, when Easter is celebrated by many. The park was to close at 8 p.m. local time Thursday. On Monday, the park will resume operating hours between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. with no overnight camping or parking.

Elsewhere in the National Park System:

* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey staff said that as of Friday all backcountry campsites on the Appalachian Trail and on the Delaware River within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area would be closed until May 22. Most outdoor spaces in the park remain open and accessible to the public in accordance with the latest federal, state, and local health guidance.  Park rangers remain on duty.  

* At Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri it was announced that the park was suspending all commercial services operations and expanding the restriction on camping to include all gravel bar camping and camping along trails in support of federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

The suspension of commercial services includes operations by all authorized outfitters within the park boundaries, such as the park’s contracted float and shuttle concessions and guide services. This suspension remains in effect through at least May 10, and will be evaluated prior to that time to determine if there is a need for extension.

“With the recent stay-at-home orders issued for the state of Missouri and for several of the counties adjacent to the park, we feel these additional closures are the right thing to do to support our local communities and to protect our local residents, employees and visitors from the spread of the virus," said acting Superintendent Jason Lott. "We’re monitoring the situation very closely and will make modifications as needed. We appreciate the patience of our visitors, because we realize the park is a much-loved destination for visitors from near and far, and we look forward to being able to welcome everyone back to the Current and Jacks Fork rivers as soon as it is safe to do so.”

* At Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan, visitor centers, drive-in and backcountry campgrounds, and most restrooms will be closed to visitors until at least June 25.