Planning To Visit A Texas National Park This Year? Better Read This First

Some changes are taking place at national parks in Texas and the impact they will have on visitors and their overall park experience won't be good.

Federal budget cuts led to the firing of thousands of state park and forest service employees and their absence will be felt by visitors to national parks all over the USA. The firings mostly involve(d) employees on "probationary" status, most because they have been on the job less than a year.

With spring break right around the corner, a surge in visitors is expected and these firings are really going to strain the staff at Texas national parks who were already stretched pretty thin.

If you are planning to visit a national park in Texas, or anywhere else in the country for that matter, expect a myriad of issues like long entry lines, closed visitor centers, uncollected garbage, limited services and shorter hours.

Texas regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association, Cary Dupuy, says you shouldn't expect help too quickly if you have an accident either ...

Park advocates say the firings threaten public safety, with fewer rangers at the park to help hikers. Punishing heat has led to numerous deaths, injuries and rescues at Texas parks in recent years.

“Our parks are really going having to make hard decisions,” Dupuy said. “How do they ensure public safety with fewer rangers?” - dallasnews.com

In other words, this may be a good year to visit a Texas beach. Just keep an eye out for rattlesnakes, all the dragons and be careful with the deadly sand.