Rocky Mt/Morraine CG

mickietucs

Perhaps some in CO can make heads/tails of an email I just received from Recreation.gov. In it, it says:
A location closure has been issued for MORAINE PARK CAMPGROUND from Wed, Jul 1, 2020 - Tue, Oct 13, 2020 due to Public Safety Concerns .
Further down in the email it says I can either cancel the reservation I currently have or can wait and "see if it opens". Then on the NPS site (and Campendium) it says:

Campgrounds

Portions of Moraine Park and Glacier Basin Campgrounds will open on June 4.

The park’s three reservation campgrounds—Moraine Park, Glacier Basin and Aspenglen—were originally scheduled to open Memorial Day Weekend. Park staff have contacted those campers to cancel those reservations.

Only Moraine Park and Glacier Basin Campgrounds will partially open on June 4, with approximately half of the campsites available for reservations. Aspenglen, Timber Creek and Longs Peak campgrounds will remain closed.

So I'm receiving mixed messages (to me) --- 

Does anyone have a clearer sense of what Morraine Park's status is or will be? Getting a hold of anyone at Recreation.gov may take a while so I thought I'd reach out to the CO forum folks! Thanks.

bergger

I don't even think the Park Service has a clear sense of the status of the campgrounds are or will be let alone Recreation.gov.   I do know the level of openness will vary from region to region and county to county and may change one way or the other depending on how the summer goes.  We got a similar email ref our late August reservation to the Sand Dunes.  We are just keeping the reservation and if its open when our time comes we will go.  Best to just roll with it and have a backup plan.  

mickietucs

@bergger - thanks for your input and interesting you got a similar email about an Aug reservation. I was surprised the email was specific with those dates (until the middle of Oct)! I'll keep as is for now and revisit my choices a bit later.

bergger

Jefferson County opened their campgrounds and now I just heard they are closing them to new reservations.  They just don't have the staffing to handle all the people.  I wonder if the National Parks are sending out those emails in hopes that some people will cancel, then the park will not open that site to new reservations in an attempt to have less people in the campground.  Strange times indeed.   

mickietucs

That makes a lot of sense. A friend said the same thing (that many places probably don't have the staffing). I'll hold off until I know for sure.

jkjenn

I think the largest obstacle to opening NP facilities will be the shortage of labor. Yellowstone and the Tetons heavily rely on international labor and they cannot get that labor into the country, right now. The second component is housing. The dorms in those areas are fairly tight quarters and not compatible with social distancing.

Sharon_is_SAM

Veery good point @jkjenn.  I was thinking along the lines of rangers and support staff, but there are huge numbers of folks employed by the concessionaires.  

Michigan_Mike

Nature is enjoying the time off for sure!  Mountain lions and other animals no longer have the pressure and are showing up in areas outside their boundaries too.  I’ll bet there will be adventuresome bears this summer too out exploring more populated areas they otherwise would avoid.  Definitely some strange times we are living in today.  I have seen a ton of antelope lately out here in NM and without much fear.