At midnight Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 22, the United States federal government ran out of funding after disagreements between the White House and Congress on spending priorities.
For the Verde Valley, with its two national monuments and hundreds of miles of U.S. Forest Service land, the government shut down has meant a closure of some of the area’s most popular tourist attractions.
The gate is closed at Tuzigoot National Monument, with a sign reading “Area Closed — Because of a lapse in federal appropriations, this National Monument is closed for the safety of visitors and park resources.”
A similar sight greets visitors to Montezuma Castle National Monument near Camp Verde.
But according to local officials, the closure of these sites has not yet caused serious issues for the area’s tourism industry.
“It is a relatively slow time for us in Clarkdale at the moment,” said Jodie Filardo, Clarkdale’s Community & Economic Development Director. “During this time of the year, typically since we are an outdoor recreation destination and a destination visited based on train traffic, we aren’t seeing an impact yet.”
“Should this shutdown continue though, we should see a delay or slowdown in tourism traffic for Clarkdale because they are a draw for us.”
At this point, it is hard to tell when the shutdown will end, but Filardo said she hopes it does not last very long. She points to the spring months as more of a peak time for Clarkdale’s tourism, meaning a shutdown then would have much more serious effects on the town.
In Camp Verde, town officials have encountered several visitors who were dismayed to discover Montezuma Castle shuttered, but said that they were able to redirect them to other attractions in the area.
“Almost all 36 visitors to the Camp Verde Visitor Center today said they wandered into town after discovering Montezuma Castle was closed,” wrote Sebra Choe, project manager for economic development in Camp Verde in an email. “[Nearly all] of them were from out of state or country, except one who was from Duncan, Arizona.
“They were happy to turn their attention to Fort Verde, Verde Valley Archaeology Center, Out of Africa, Copper Art Museum and local dining, even though some traveled from as far as Hamburg, Germany, to see the monument on their trip.”
The shutdown also means that the Verde Ranger Station of Prescott National Forest has remained closed, though Forest Service land has been accessible for those who wish to hike or use it in other ways. Choe said that the Camp Verde Visitor Center has been helping visitors with trails in lieu of the ranger station.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
