Gateway towns near U.S. national parks confront shifting borders, visitor rules, climate threats and housing crunch

In 2024 and 2025, U.S. national parks attracted over 300 million visitors each year, generating billions in park and gateway spending and supporting roughly 340,100 jobs. Yet businesses in towns within about 60 miles of park borders now confront four distinct challenges. First, presidential actions can shrink monument footprints, as the 2026 proclamations reduced the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, altering the definition of a gateway.

Second, the National Park Service’s shifting reservation and timed-entry policies—illustrated by multiple changes at Yosemite, Arches and Canyonlands—create volatile visitor patterns that strain local operators. Third, climate-driven extremes, from a lightning-sparked wildfire that closed Black Canyon in July 2025 to drought-related fishing bans near Yellowstone, have forced cancellations and revenue losses. Fourth, a lack of affordable housing, driven by an influx of second-home buyers and limited buildable land, pushes workers into long commutes and leaves many gateway firms understaffed. Together, these factors turn traditional seasonal tourism into a high-risk business environment.