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Zion and Yellowstone yes, Ellis Island no: Some U.S. national parks open, some not because of government shutdown

The snowy mountains and frozen lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Mighty Five in Utah are still accessible to visitors, despite the federal government shutdown.

But across the country in New York, the nation's most famous monuments to immigration — the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island — were closed Saturday.

The National Park Service oversees both natural wonders and historic landmarks across the nation. The park service's parent agency, the Interior Department, had vowed to keep as many parks and public lands open as possible during the shutdown, which began at midnight Friday on the East Coast.