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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Signal Point closed, National Parks unstaffed during government shutdown

Jeanne and Kevin Finnan look out over the Tennessee River at Signal Point.
Jeanne and Kevin Finnan look out over the Tennessee River at Signal Point.

Signal Point is closed until further notice due to the government shutdown.

Federal park police locked access to the park Friday night, according to the Signal Mountain Police Department.

The popular hiking access point is operated by the National Park Service. Despite the closure, some National Parks will remain open during the shutdown. However, some will not be staffed and none will be fully staffed. A message on the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Facebook page advises guests to call 911 if there’s an emergency due to the lack of on-site staffing.

Park activities have been cancelled nationwide. Visitor services including restrooms, trash collection, facilities, road maintenance, campground reservation, check-in/check-out services, permits and public information have been suspended throughout the shutdown, according to the National Park Service Contingency Plan.

Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors, but there will be no NPS-provided visitor services, according to the plan. There is no word on why Signal Point was closed and park officials could not be reached for comment due to the shutdown.