You are here

Parks Close As Bitter Cold, Snow Sweeps Over Them

Share

Published Date

December 23, 2022

Frigid weather and stormy conditions spawned by Winter Storm Elliott closed many national parks, or portions of them, across the country on Friday, from Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in North Dakota and Badlands National Park in South Dakota to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia and the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in North Carolina.

Knife River was closed due to a blizzard and Badlands because of "extreme winds and negative temperature," while Appomattox Court House closed "due to the hazardous weather forecast and probable black ice on park walkways and parking lots" and the Carl Sandburg Home closed woodland trails on the grounds due to high winds called for in the forest.

Some parks in the Northwest closed due to an ice storm. 

Many parks will be closed Christmas Day in honor of the holiday.

Here's a glance at the closures:

* Park roads closed at Acadia National Park in Maine due to heavy rains to be followed by plunging temperatures and light snow and the possibility of coastal flooding.

* Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky was closed due to the forecast calling for snow and ice.

* African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City was to be closed Saturday due to inclement weather.

* Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland was closed Friday by the weather

* Big Bend National Park in Texas was open, though visitors were warned of windchill temperatures that could fall to 3 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit.

* The visitor center at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in Kentucky/Virginia/Tennessee was closed Friday due to the weather.

* Park facilities at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in Ohio were to be closed Saturday because of the storm.

* The visitor center at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa was closed Friday due to blizzard conditions, and the parking lot would not be plowed.

* Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site in Pennsylvania were both closed Friday due to the storm.

* Booker T. Washington National Monument in Virginia was closed due to the forecast.

* Parts of Buffalo National River in Arkansas were closed due to the weather (check the park website for details).

* Camp Nelson National Monument in Kentucky was closed Friday due to the wintry forecast.

* Catoctin Mountain Park's visitor center was closed in Maryland due to inclement weather and a power outage.

* Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument was closed due to the winter storm.

* The Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument was to be closed Saturday due to "extremely high tides and icing conditions at ferry departure points."

* The Otis Pike Wilderness Center at Fire Island National Seashore was closed Friday due to hazardous weather conditions and rough surf.

* The First Ladies National Historic Site in Ohio was closed by the weather.

* Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Kentucky and Tennessee was closed by the storm.

* The grounds of Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming were closed Friday due to the extremely cold temperatures.

* Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Washington was closed due to extreme cold.

* Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri was closed due to the weather.

* Hamilton Grange National Memorial in New York was to be closed Saturday due to the storm.

* Harry S Truman National Historic Site was closed Friday by the weather.

* Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Iowa was closed Friday due to the storm.

* Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Pennsylvania was closed Friday by the storm.

* James A Garfield National Historic Site in Ohio was closed Friday and Saturday due to the weather, and will be closed Sunday due to the holiday.

* Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Oregon and Washington was closed Friday due to an ice storm.

* The Memorial Visitor Center and trails at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana were closed Friday by the weather.

* Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky was to remain closed until Monday due to the weather.

* Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument in Kentucky was to be closed Friday and Saturday due to the weather.

* Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in South Dakota was closed Friday by extreme cold temperatures and blizzard conditions.

* The Mississippi River Visitor Center at Mississippi National River & Recreation Area in Minnesota was closed Friday due to the weather.

* The Canyon Rim Visitor Center at New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in West Virginia was closed Friday by extreme weather conditions.

* All park facilities, including the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge Road, and Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center, were closed Friday due to freezing rain.

* The visitor center at Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota was to be closed Friday and Saturday due to bitterly cold and snowy weather.

* The visitor center at Roger Williams National Memorial in Rhode Island was closed Friday due to the weather.

* Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site in New York was to be closed Saturday due to the weather.

* The Derby Wharf at Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Massachusetts was closed Friday due to the weather.

* Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts was to be closed Saturday due to the weather.

* Statue Of Liberty National Monument in New York/New Jersey was to be closed Saturday due to exceptionally high tides and icing conditions.

* Steamtown National Historic Site in Pennsylvania was to be closed Saturday due to the weather.

* Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas was closed Friday by the weather.

* Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site in Missouri was closed Friday due to the extremely cold temperatures.

* William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Ohio was closed Friday because of the weather.

* Women's Rights National Historical Park in New York was to be closed Friday and Saturday due to the weather.

Your support helps the National Parks Traveler increase awareness of the wonders and issues confronting national parks and protected areas.

Support Our Mission

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.