(KSTU) -- The State of Utah plans to keep three national parks open for business during a federal government shutdown, said Vicki Varela, Managing Director of the Utah Office of Tourism.
Varela says they arranged to help pay for basic visitor services at Zion, Arches, and Bryce Canyon National Parks while on an emergency call with Park Superintendents on Thursday.
"National parks and monuments are a huge part of our tourism economy," Varela said.
Other parks and monuments will have open roads and trails, but most visitor services will not be available.
Aside from National Parks, major impacts in Utah will include employees furloughed from the Ogden IRS offices, from Interior and Agriculture agencies like the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, and the temporary suspension of food and environmental inspections.
Federal employees deemed essential will work, but paychecks won't be processed for work that occurs after Dec. 21 until the shutdown ends.
