The Arches National Park Visitor Center reopened on Jan. 11 during the partial government shutdown with funding assistance from the Canyonlands Natural History Association. On Jan. 12, Nikita Gill, from Melbourne, Australia, stopped to visit Arches National Park during a road trip from Aspen, Colorado, to San Francisco, California. Gill (pictured left) said she and her husband were surprised that no one was taking entrance fees at the entrance. “We’re very sad about what’s going on politically, and it’s all we hear about when we’re overseas, but then when we come here, we realize there’s a lot more to this country than just politics,” Gill told the Moab Sun News. “It’s a great country, beautiful landscape, lovely people, so much to do, so much to see. We hope you keep it that way regardless of the politics.” PT Lathrop (pictured right) is a supervisory park ranger for interpretation at Arches National Park. Lathrop said the park service performed a lot of work removing ice and snow at the parking lots, restrooms, trailheads, campground and along the sidewalks. Access to the national park was closed following a snowstorm and a lack of federal funding to plow the roads. [Photo by Ashley Bunton / Moab Sun News]
