ASSOCIATED PRESS

Arizona state parks open after hours-long closure

Eds: UPDATES with comment from state park director, background.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — State parks reopened Wednesday morning after concerns about the lack of a state budget prompted an overnight closure.

Gov. Jan Brewer’s administration told state employees to return to work as scheduled Wednesday even though she had not received budget bills, ensuring parks would stay open for the upcoming July 4 holiday.

An estimated 55,000 people are expected to visit the 30 sites within the parks system over the weekend, said State Parks Director Renee Bahl. Park rangers removed signs Wednesday morning that advised visitors of the closure.

“Nobody is happier than we are to welcome guests back into the parks and to get ready for our biggest week of the year,” Bahl said.

Campers at 400 sites across the state were given a heads-up around 4 p.m. Tuesday that they would have to leave the parks by 10 p.m. and find another place to stay. Each campsite has four campers on average, but most campsites were only about one-third full, Bahl said.

Campers who were asked to leave can either request refunds or reschedule their trips, Bahl said. Overnight camping fees range from $15-$22.

“The campers were disappointed, but this wasn’t surprise news for them because they had been paying attention to the state budget deliberations,” she said.

The closure didn’t affect parks in Show Low and Lake Havasu, which remained open under special-use agreements to have those cities run the parks temporarily.