National parks staffing faces crunch time amid Trump cuts
National parks, which have been under budget and understaffed for years, are facing a severe worker shortage that has been made worse by cuts by the Trump administration.
- Yosemite National Park’s lodging, managed by Yosemite Hospitality, received an “unsatisfactory” rating from the National Park Service due to health and safety hazards.
- Repeated rodent infestations, food safety issues, and unsanitary conditions, including mold, were found at multiple lodging facilities.
- The NPS is working with Yosemite Hospitality to address the issues and improve conditions.
Yosemite National Park’s iconic hotels and lodges are under fire. In a 2024 performance review, the National Park Service identified persistent health and safety hazards. Frequent inspections last year revealed the hotel had mold, rotting decks and rodent infestations issues – all while guests were able to stay there.
Situated within one of the most visited national parks, The Ahwahnee Hotel was established in 1927 to attract affluent visitors to the park, with celebrities and presidents as some of its most famous guests. The hotel is currently managed by Yosemite Hospitality, LLC, a branch of hospitality company Aramark Corporation, under a 17-year contract from 2016 to 2033. The company also operates Wawona Hotel, which originally opened in 1856, and Yosemite Valley Lodge in the park.
In the 2024 Annual Overall Rating report from the National Park Service, obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this month, the historic lodgings were found to have poor risk management and operations and deteriorating conditions that were ultimately deemed unsafe.
NPS said it regularly evaluates third-party operations to ensure they meet standards for safety, maintenance and visitor experience. “We work closely with our concessioners to identify and address issues, and we expect them to take prompt action to resolve any problems,” said a Yosemite National Park spokesperson in a statement to USA TODAY.
For 2024, Yosemite Hospitality earned an overall score of 49 – considered “unsatisfactory” by the agency that could result in contract termination. In 2023, the company received a “marginal” rating, with chemical spills, a viral outbreak, bed bugs and food storage issues at its properties revealed, as reported by Bloomberg.
“We take this rating seriously, and in working closely with the NPS, we have and continue to make improvements at Yosemite to ensure high standards are met for park guests,” said Yosemite Hospitality in a statement to USA TODAY.
Repeated food safety hazards
The report identified several health hazards across park properties, with Yosemite Hospitality failing to meet the requirements of the NPS contract, Food and Drug Administration Food Code and Office of Public Health (OPH) in five food facilities, leading to five separate temporary closures last year.
Wildlife infestations and incidents were reportedly a significant problem for the properties last year. In June 2024, NPS sent a letter “expressing concern” to Yosemite Hospitality about repeat rodent infestations, and although a plan for pest control was devised over the summer, the agency still had to shut down operations at Degnan’s Kitchen, the Wawona Hotel Dining Room, and again at The Ahwahnee Bar in September.
NPS staff and OPH completed 31 food facility inspections last year – including some based off of complaints – and found “rodent intrusions and droppings, basic cleanliness, maintenance of appropriate food temperatures, unacceptably high ambient heat in kitchen and dining areas, and inadequate hood ventilation, among other items,” according to the report. The rodent infestations were a repeat issue from May through September, and the company had to switch pest control companies.
Inspectors also discovered more “serious, unreported health hazards,” including refrigeration units running too warm for safe food storage, contamination in the kitchen, and employee illness from the misuse of bleach to clean and clear the rodents.
Other food facilities at the hotel, Curry Village, the Yosemite Valley Lodge and Ahwahnee Hotel experienced “bear and wildlife incidents” on multiple occasions due to improper waste management and “employee negligence,” like poor trash storage, dumpsters and doors were left unlocked and open along with overflowing waste. Several broken waste bins were not fixed in a timely manner.
At the High Sierra Camps, which were closed most of last year, food options were limited due to a lack of food supply and ingredient lists.
‘State of disrepair’
The report also alleges that management failed to fix persistent issues and improve the aging condition of the accommodations in a timely manner. It said Yosemite Hospitality didn’t disclose maintenance inspection details or copies of reports, so NPS was unaware if inspections were completed as scheduled. However, Yosemite Hospitality completed 31 out of 37 initiated improvement projects last year.
Inspections often reported unsanitary conditions at the lodgings, specifically mold. Other findings included the rear porches of the Yosemite Valley Lodge, which were identified to be in an “advanced state of disrepair,” with the wooden deck boards rotting and loosening to expose rusty nails. Stairs and landings also failed to meet evaluation standards, posing trip hazards.
The Ahwahnee Hotel’s fraying carpet, first noted in 2023, has deteriorated to a point where it’s difficult to clean. At Wawona Hotel, mold and mushrooms were discovered growing in the ice machine in the employee break room, forcing the facility to be closed from April 2024 through the end of the year.
Yosemite Hospitality also failed to report to NPS emergency maintenance problems like a plumbing failure at The Ahwahnee Hotel and multiple outstanding issues for several years. This includes upgrading the lights and mirrors in guest rooms at the historic hotel, which the report notes scored a 64.54% customer satisfaction rating in 2024.
Yosemite Hospitality’s overall rating is mean to identify the areas needed for improvement, and NPS did not state if the contract would be terminated. “Yosemite Hospitality has shown a commitment to improve its operations, and we are committed to closely monitoring performance and working with our business partner to meet the high expectations of quality services our visitors expect,” the agency said.
