Squatters, base jumpers invade Yosemite during federal shutdown: ‘Like the Wild Wild West’
Yosemite National Park has remained open despite a staffing shortage during the ongoing government shutdown. Getty Images
Yosemite National Park has seen a surge of unauthorized visitors, rogue climbers, and illegal BASE jumpers as the park struggles with staffing shortages during the ongoing government shutdown.
Videos circulating on social media show BASE jumpers leaping off El Capitan, climbers scaling Half Dome’s 8,839-foot cables without permits, and trespassers camping in restricted areas — all in direct violation of park regulations, according to local reports.
“It’s like the Wild Wild West,” said John DeGrazio, founder of YExplore Yosemite Adventures, in an interview with SFGate. “This is different. These people are counting on no enforcement because of the shutdown.”
Since the shutdown began on October 1, many National Park Service employees have been furloughed without pay — even as President Trump’s administration has moved to keep national parks open under contingency plans.
One Yosemite employee, speaking anonymously, said that just one volunteer wilderness ranger has been patrolling the park’s vast 1,169-square-mile area since the shutdown began.
“There are lots of squatters in the campgrounds,” the worker said. “There are people who believe they can do whatever they want because of the lack of rangers. They’ve told us that directly.”
Local climber Charles Winstead, who shared footage of BASE jumpers launching from El Capitan’s 3,000-foot summit, said he’s spotted at least a dozen jumpers in recent days. The sport — which involves jumping from fixed objects and deploying a parachute to slow descent — was first popularized in Yosemite in the 1970s but banned in national parks in the 1980s.
“You hear them before you see them,” Winstead told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Then the parachute pops, and there’s no more noise. But it’s been happening so much lately, I hardly look up.”
The Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, said it is aware of the reports and plans to investigate. The department emphasized that essential staff remain in place to protect life, property, and public safety.
“Visitors are reminded that law enforcement officers remain on duty,” a department spokesperson said Tuesday. “We are aware of reports of BASE jumping in Yosemite and investigate all incidents. BASE jumping is illegal in all national parks, including Yosemite, because of the serious safety risks it poses to participants, the public, and first responders.”
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