Starting November 1, 2023, time-entries end and the possibility of increased traffic and wait times begin at Arches National Park / NPS-Veronica Verdin

End Of Second Timed Entry At Arches

Beginning November 1, 2023, Arches National Park will conclude the temporary, timed entry pilot that has operated since April 1, 2023. Timed entry tickets will no longer be necessary to enter the park after October 31. Traditional park or interagency entrance passes will still be required, obtainable online or at the entrance booth. After the close of the program, visitors may experience increased traffic and temporary entrance delays.

“We are grateful to our visitors, local community members, and park partners for their support of this program. This second season of the pilot continued to meet core program goals, including distributing visitation throughout the day and improving visitor experiences, while also providing additional data that will inform our next steps,” said Acting Superintendent Brendan Bray.

Starting on November 1, visitors to Arches might experience increased traffic and wait times to enter the park, especially around holidays and weekends. Trails and parking lots may be crowded, and temporary delays lasting 3-5 hours may be implemented at the entrance gate to manage congestion.

 Winter Campground Closures Due To Hazard Trees

Due to infections weakening trees, several campgrounds are being closed at Olympic National Park / NPS photo

To protect visitors from risks posed by hazard trees, Olympic National Park is modifying the seasonal closures in some campgrounds. From November 1 through March 31, the following areas will be closed: Staircase Campground, all sections; Mora Campground, Loops A, B, C, and E; and Kalaloch Campground, South Loop.  

Compromised tree health and stability in these areas has increased the risk of tree falls in winter conditions.  

In the forest surrounding Staircase Campground, Armillaria root rot has weakened the stability of some conifer and broadleaf trees. Armillaria kills the tree by cutting off nutrient flow to the upper parts of the tree. Compromised roots can cause the tree to fall during winter conditions when soils are wet, winds are strong, and the canopies are carrying heavy snow. Hazard trees will continue to be monitored and removed after review by park staff and partnering scientists. 

Dwarf mistletoe has infected the stems of some hemlock trees at Mora Campground. While these stem infections don't kill the tree, they do allow fungi to invade the tree and cause rot. Infected trees are unlikely to fail under normal conditions. Strong winter winds could cause infected trees to break at the infection site. Loop D will be open to visitors after park hazard tree inspectors identify and remove the infected hemlocks. 

The forest history at Kalaloch Campground left the area with many trees standing on stilted roots. Under normal conditions, these trees can be stable. When subjected to strong winds and wet soils, common winter weather conditions on the coast, these trees can fail. Annosus root disease was also detected as this campground. 

Trail Closures Near Kilauea Summit

Episodic unrest from Kilauea volcano is causing trail closures including the Mauna Iki Trail, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park / NPS - Janice Wei

Due to episodic unrest in the area south-southwest of Kīlauea caldera in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Iki Trail is closed and the Kaʻū Desert/Footprints Trail is closed past the Footprints exhibit to the Mauna Iki Trail intersection. 

The Footprints exhibit remains open and accessible from Highway 11. Kulanaokuaiki Campground is open and Hilina Pali Road is open but is closed to vehicles past the campground to the Hiliina Pali Lookout due to elevated fire risk. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that the summit of Kīlauea volcano remains at a high level of inflation and eruptive activity is possible in the coming weeks or months. The unrest is expected to fluctuate as magma moves around into the area. Over the past 24 hours, USGS recorded around 86 earthquakes in the Kīlauea summit region. Most of the earthquakes from the seismic swarm south of the caldera are at depths of around 1–3 km (0.6–2 mi) below the surface.

“Safety is always our top priority, and the potential hazards in this region are significant and could include elevated volcanic gases, dangerous lava activity, and damaging earthquakes with very little notice. After any potential eruptive activity occurs, park managers will re-evaluate high hazard areas and access,” said Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is unique among national parks because of the two active volcanoes within its boundaries. Last year, the park closed the summit of Mauna Loa weeks ahead of its historic summit eruption in November. As a result, no one had to be evacuated and no search and rescue missions were necessary.