News: Parts of Big Bend To Close, Sequoias in Danger, Rushmore Fireworks Return

Parkography

RV Miles Network

Nature, Society & Culture, History, Society & Culture:places & Travel, Science, Places & Travel

4.8 • 911 Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

This week in national park news: The National Park Service reports 323 million recreation visits in 2025 (down 2.7% from 2024), Mount Rushmore will host fireworks for the U.S. 250th anniversary amid ongoing regional wildfire concerns. A new CBP map no longer shows a primary border wall through Big Bend, instead labeling the area as detection technology, while Big Bend’s Chisos Basin will close starting May 1 for up to two years for lodge replacement and water infrastructure work. Lawmakers introduce the Save Our Sequoias Act to fund reforestation, monitoring, and forest management after major tree losses, and Indiana will add all-terrain track chairs to every state park at no cost. 00:00 Big Changes Ahead00:34 2025 Park Visitation Report02:19 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Return04:08 Big Bend Border Wall Update05:41 Chisos Basin Two-Year Closure07:03 Save Our Sequoias Act08:47 Indiana Parks Accessibility Upgrade09:46 Wrap Up And Thanks

Transcript

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0:00.0	Big Ben National Park is going to see some major changes. One of the most iconic areas in the park is about to close for two years, while the proposed border wall through the park may be off the table.
0:11.0	Giant sequoias are facing a fight for survival and new legislation may protect them.
0:15.9	Meanwhile, fireworks are set to return to Mount Rushmore, plus new visitation numbers show just how many
0:21.9	people are heading to National Parks right now.
0:24.5	All that and more, I'm Jason Epperson.
0:26.3	This is Parkography, and it's time for the latest in National Park and Public Lands News.
0:32.6	Welcome back, everybody.
0:34.0	First up, the National Park Service has released final visitation numbers for
0:37.8	2025, saying it recorded more than 323 million recreation visits over the course of the year,
0:44.6	including over 13 million overnight stays, with 26 parks setting new visitation records.
0:51.1	The total is down 2.7% over the record $332 million set in 2024.
0:58.0	2025 was the sixth busiest year in parks on record, with the drop likely due to the 43-day
1:04.0	partial government shutdown the longest ever. Parks were mostly open during the shutdown,
1:09.2	but things like cave tours and presidential
1:11.7	homes were not available. Quote, America's national parks continue to be places where
1:16.3	people come to experience our country's history, landscapes, and shared heritage, said Jessica
1:21.7	Bowren, Comptroller and Acting Director of the Park Service. The top 10 visited sites, as usual, included parks in some of the most populated areas and parkways that see lots of driving traffic.
1:34.1	The Blue Ridge Parkway once again took the top spot, followed by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Natchez Trace Parkway.
1:43.0	Of the big 63 congressionally designated national parks, the listatchez Trace Parkway. Of the big 63,
1:44.4	congressionally designated national parks, the list is topped by Great Smoky Mountains,
1:48.9	which always has more than double the next most visited park on the list, mainly due to
1:53.6	its easy access to more than half of the U.S. population within a day's drive, along with the
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