What's open during the shutdown? A running list for travelers.

The shutdown of the federal government this week has sent some travelers into a state of disappointment and confusion as they weigh plans to visit properties managed by the National Park Service. While outdoor national parks remain largely open, there are no workers to staff some historic sites and visitor centers, or direct some tours.

Some sites are closed off. Some are allowed to stay open. Or left in a partially functioning state.

Figuring out what is still accessible requires legwork; specific information has been sparse on government websites that are typically updated to reflect weather emergencies and traffic anomalies. (Air travel will continue mostly unimpeded; Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controlers have exemptions to work without pay, which could contribute to long lines and delays.)

As of Friday, most park system websites carried a uniform message with scarce information: “National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.” They directed people to a site that shares the Interior Department’s contingency plan but not location-specific information.

Social media pages echoed the nonspecific language for the most part, leaving potential visitors to beg for more information in the comments.

“I guess I have to drive there to see if the gate is closed,” one person wrote on the Facebook page for Shenandoah National Park. (The park and its hotels and campgrounds are open, while visitor centers are not.)

A message on Recreation.gov, a federal travel-planning site and reservation system, said it would stay operational during the shutdown, but customers might not be able to complete future reservations or purchases for passes. People with reservations at shuttered locations might get an email with more information, the site said - or might not. It directed people to check local offices or agency websites directly.

Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, said the parks were already operating with skeleton crews because of a nearly 25 percent reduction in permanent National Park Service staffers that occurred earlier this year. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the system could lose more than $1 million in fee revenue every day buildings are closed. Nearly two-thirds of the Park Service - more than 9,000 people - have been furloughed.

To protect the parks, Wade recommends visitors follow some of the golden rules of backcountry hiking, such as “pack it in, pack it out” (including waste) and carrying your own supply of toilet paper. He also urges people not to “do anything stupid,” because the response times of search-and-rescue or law enforcement might be slower than usual.

“Be a little bit more careful, so you don’t get in trouble and have to rely on an already very short-staffed park,” Wade said.

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National park sites that are open

-Grand Canyon: According to the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the park’s nonprofit partner, a lot is open: roads, lookouts, trails and campgrounds, plus its retail stores, the Kolb Studio art gallery, Desert View Watchtower and the Backcountry Information Center. Ranger-led programs and tours have been canceled. Collection fee booths and Park Service buildings, such as visitor centers, are closed. The conservancy will still hold events; visitors should check for location changes. Amenities and services run by third parties are available, including lodging, restaurants, bicycle rentals, tours and park shuttles. Commercial river trips are still on.

-Yellowstone: A statement posted by the vendor running lodges at Yellowstone National Park says entrances and roads will remain accessible. Lodges, restaurants, gift shops and bathrooms will remain open.

-Yosemite: According to the Yosemite Conservancy, gates are open but unstaffed. Roads, trails, campgrounds and backcountry and wilderness areas remain open. The conservancy will keep running its art classes and volunteer programs. Lodging, hotels, stores and restaurants are open.

-Utah national parks: The state’s five national parks - Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion and Bryce Canyon - are open, but some services are limited. For example, the visitors center at Arches National Park is open select hours (8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.) only to issue pre-booked Fiery Furnace permits. The visitor centers at Canyonlands are closed. For updates, check the Utah Office of Tourism.

-Colorado national park sites: The eight sites in Colorado that collect fees - Rocky Mountain National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Great Sand Dunes, Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park - will continue to operate on fee revenue. Visitor centers and historic buildings will be closed, but gates will stay open and custodial services will continue, according to the governor’s office. The state expects those sites to stay open until fee revenue dries up.

-Hawaii national parks: Haleakalā National Park in Maui is open with advanced reservations for sunrise. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has limited services and facilities; the welcome center at Kīlauea Military Camp, Volcano Art Gallery and Volcano House are open. Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Kaua‘i is open with advanced reservations; the visitor center and gift shop are closed.

-Pearl Harbor: Historic sites in Hawaii including Pearl Harbor National Memorial, home of the USS Arizona Memorial; Battleship Missouri Memorial; Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum; Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum and USS Bowfin submarine will remain open and operate at normal hours during the government shutdown.

-Mount Rushmore: Travelers can still visit the South Dakota national memorial. Restrooms, restaurants and the gift shop remain open.

-D.C. museums and monuments: For now, many of D.C.’s most popular museums are open. The Smithsonian Institution - which curates 17 museums in the city and the National Zoo - said on Tuesday that all of its properties will remain open to the public “at least through Monday, Oct. 6.” Some museums that are funded by a combination of federal appropriations and private donations, including the National Gallery of Art and the Holocaust Museum, will be open at least in the short term. The city also has many private museums that will not be disrupted by the shutdown. Visitors can still access D.C.’s most famous outdoor sites, including the World War II Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. However indoor services, such as visitor centers, gift shops and restrooms probably will be closed.

-Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Both New York sites, which are reachable by ferry, remain open “thanks to the leadership of President Donald J. Trump,” a statement provided by the Interior Department said. The department did not answer questions about how long the attractions would stay open or what level of services would remain available, but tickets have remained on sale.

-Kennedy Space Center: The Florida center’s visitor complex, which is operated by a NASA contractor, is open. Exhibits and attractions are available, according to the website. That includes the Kennedy Space Center bus tour and other special-interest tours.

Parks and monuments that are closed

-Liberty Bell Center: Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park has several closed attractions, including the famously cracked bell, according to a list from Visit Philadelphia. Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution created, is also closed, as is the Benjamin Franklin Museum. The tourism office provides this tip: “The Liberty Bell is visible through a window on the east side of its building.”

-Gateway Arch: Ticketing and tram operations at the St. Louis landmark are suspended, according to the website, and ticketed events have been canceled. Tickets for the tram rides, the documentary movie or VR experience will be refunded for people who have reservations during the shutdown. Riverboat trips and helicopter tours, which are not part of the National Park Service, are still open.

-Carlsbad Caverns: Entry to the New Mexico caverns, access to the visitor center, roads leading into the park and nighttime bat flight programs are not available during the shutdown, the national park’s Facebook page said in response to a user’s question.

-Petrified Forest: The national park in Arizona, famous for its fossils, ancient village and Painted Desert, is “completely closed,” its Facebook page said in a comment responding to questions.

-Alcatraz Island: The famous prison in the center of San Francisco Bay is closed. Its website says any tickets that cannot be used during the shutdown will be refunded.

-Muir Woods: The national monument north of San Francisco is closed, according to its website. Parking reservation fees will be refunded.

-D.C. attractions: Several sites are closed in the nation’s capital, according to a list compiled by Destination DC, including the Library of Congress, the National Archives Museum, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the Air Force Memorial, the U.S. National Arboretum and the Washington Monument.