A surge of visitors to Yosemite overwhelms a skeleton crew: ‘This is exactly what we warned about’

As the US government shutdown enters its third week, concerns mount over how the nation's public lands will fare

Cars and RVs surged into Yosemite national park throughout the weekend, as visitors from around the world came to enjoy the crisp autumn weather, undeterred by a lack of park services and the absence of rangers.

National parks have largely been kept open through the lapse in US federal funding that has left workers furloughed and resources for the parks system more scarce than usual. But as the US government shutdown enters its third week and legislators warn that their impasse could linger even longer than the one in Donald Trump's first term - which currently holds the record at 35 days - concerns are mounting over how the nation's treasured public lands will fare.