Elaine Glusac
June 5, 2025

For a smooth trip, turn to the pros.

The mystery of Old Faithful, the wonder of the redwoods, the glory of the Grand Canyon: Awe drives any trip to a national park.

But in the wake of proposed budget cuts to the National Park Service, as well as significant staff layoffs, some park lovers are nervously anticipating the fallout from program reductions, whether they mean closed visitors’ centers or overflowing trash cans.

To help clear up any concerns, Virtuoso travel advisors recommend leaning on independent sources such as tour operators and guides – whom they work with to customize trips – to help parry potential problems.

“New and seasoned visitors will benefit by better navigating access and getting right to the good stuff,” such as lesser-known trails, unique lodging, and private wilderness guides, says Virtuoso advisor Michelle Millerd.

Private concessionaires, not the Park Service, operate the parks’ historic lodges and restaurants, which feature prominently in itineraries from tour companies like Tauck. The company uses its own guides or contracts locally in places such as Gettysburg National Military Park, where a battlefield guide walks guests through the intense conflict on the now peaceful grounds, and has been operating to date without disruption.

Local tour operators also support park gateway communities, contributing to conservation, hospitality, and entertainment jobs that enrich the economic ecosystem. Good Trip Adventures, a Virtuoso supplier that works with travel advisors to customize national park vacations, typically leads its small-group tours in 15-passenger vehicles with oversize wildlife-viewing windows, supplying binoculars and locally sourced picnic lunches along the way. “You don’t have to worry, and you have a local guide to tell you stories about the area’s human history, flora, and fauna,” says Megan Kennedy, the company’s chief adventure officer.

Yellowstone’s Great Fountain Geyser.Getty Images

These private tour companies also swing into action if things like park entry requirements, trail access, or traffic regulations change on the fly. “You have a personal emergency contact who will be in direct communication to navigate anything that comes up,” says Yulissa Munoz, director of business development at American Excursionist. The Virtuoso supplier’s ten-day self-drive road trip in Wyoming and Montana, for example, includes day trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks with private guides for a mix of independent exploring and expert insight.

Now more than ever, planning ahead is important, say park operators. Kennedy advises packing your own provisions: “Food in the national parks is nothing to write home about,” she says. She also recommends downloading audio guides, whether the parks are fully staffed or not, to expand your storytelling sources.

Another stress-busting strategy: Consider a less-visited park. Good Trip Adventures runs a TikTok series devoted to national park alternatives. In lieu of the Grand Canyon, for example, Kennedy recommends Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, with its impressive steep-walled gorges. Or try Utah’s high-desert-wilderness Canyonlands National Park, which is more than four times the size of nearby-but-mobbed Arches National Park. Millerd says, “If you can’t get to Alaska but love mountain vistas, try Washington state’s North Cascades National Park.” 

Wherever travelers land, circumstances may require them to embrace the backcountry principles of “Leave No Trace,” such as disposing of waste properly, avoiding visits during holidays and other high-use times, and respecting wildlife by keeping a safe distance. Despite park conditions, says Millerd, “I would hope that visitors will take care to be good stewards.”