Story highlights Officials will open eight locations by Saturday

Utah's governor announced the deal on Thursday

"Utah's national parks are the backbone of many rural economies," Governor Gary Herbert says

Leaders in Utah say they found a way to get around the government shutdown.

Utah will reopen its five national parks by Saturday, as well as three other nationally run locations.

Utah's Governor Gary Herbert made the announcement Thursday, saying a deal had been reached with the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.

"Utah agrees to pay the National Park Service (NPS) up to $1.67 million— $166,572 per day—to re-open eight national sites in Utah for up to 10 days. If the federal government shutdown ends before then, the State will receive a refund of unused monies" an official press statement explained.

The deal would reopen Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks. The other three locations that will be opened are Natural Bridges and Cedar Breaks national monuments, as well as Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – The Statue of Liberty looms over visitors below on Liberty Island in New York Harbor on Sunday, October 13, 2013. The statue was closed to the public by the federal government's partial shutdown that began October 1, 2013, but reopened Sunday after the state of New York agreed to shoulder the costs of running the site during the shutdown. Hide Caption 1 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Empty tables overlooking Seal Rocks are seen inside the closed Cliff House on Wednesday, October 9, in San Francisco. The 150-year-old oceanside icon was ordered closed by the National Park Service for the duration of the partial government shutdown, leaving most of the restaurant's 170 employees without work. Hide Caption 2 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Boaters gather to protest the closure of Everglades National Park waters on October 9 near Islamorada, Florida. About a third of the 2,380-square-mile park encompasses Florida Bay and has been closed to Florida Keys guides and recreational fishermen since October 1. Hide Caption 3 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A camping party at the Dolly Copp campground in Gorham, New Hampshire, on October 9 is told that the park will close on Thursday, October 10, at noon. The privately run campground in New Hampshire's White Mountains National Forest was forced to close ahead of the lucrative Columbus Day weekend because of the federal government shutdown. Hide Caption 4 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Rick Hohensee holds a "Fire Congress" sign near the House steps on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, October 8. Hide Caption 5 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Officers stand at the base of stairs leading to the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, October 7. Hide Caption 6 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Tourists take photos at a barricade blocking access to the World War II Memorial in Washington on Sunday, October 6. Hide Caption 7 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – River runners make camp in a dirt parking lot in Marble Canyon, Arizona, after being unable to access the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry on Saturday, October 5. Hide Caption 8 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A closure sign is posted on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Thursday, October 3. Hide Caption 9 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Tourists take photos of the Statue of Liberty while riding a tour boat in New York Harbor on October 3. The statue is adminstered by the National Park Service and is closed as a result of the government shutdown. Hide Caption 10 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A single security guard patrols the closed Lincoln Memorial in Washington on October 3. Hide Caption 11 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A U.S. Capitol police officer walks past a statue of Gerald Ford in the rotunda on Tuesday, October 1. The Capitol is closed to tours because of the government shutdown. Hide Caption 12 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Barricades around the World War II Memorial in Washington prevent people from entering the monument on October 1. The memorial was temporary opened to veteran groups who arrived on Honor Flights on a day trip to visit the nation's capital. Hide Caption 13 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – World War II veteran Russell Tucker of Meridian, Mississippi, stands outside the barricade as he visits the World War II Memorial in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 14 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – World War II Veteran George Bloss, from Gulfport, Mississippi, looks out over the National World War II Memorial in Washington, on October 1. Veterans who had traveled from across the country were allowed to visit the National World War II Memorial after it had been officially closed because of the partial government shutdown. Hide Caption 15 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A park ranger secures a road at the entrance to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial on October 1 in Keystone, South Dakota. Hide Caption 16 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A visitor takes a picture of a sign announcing the closure of the Fort Point National Historic Site due to the partial government shutdown on October 1 in San Francisco, California. Hide Caption 17 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Visitors to Independence National Historical Park are reflected in the window of the closed building housing the Liberty Bell, on October 1 in Philadelphia. Hide Caption 18 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Hot Springs National Park employee Stacy Jackson carries a barricade while closing Arlington Lawn in Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas on October 1. Hide Caption 19 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – The Washington Monument is seen behind a chain fence in Washington, on October 1. Hide Caption 20 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A National Park Service ranger finishes putting up a sign indicating all facilities at the Martin Luther King Historic Site are closed to the public in Atlanta, on October 1. Hide Caption 21 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A Capitol police officer walks through the empty Capitol Rotunda, closed to tours during the government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, on October 1. Hide Caption 22 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – An employee at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield, Massachusetts, puts up a sign on October 1, to notify visitors that the site is closed because of a government shutdown. Hide Caption 23 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A U.S. Park Service police officer stands at the closed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 24 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A man looks into the closed Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 25 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A U.S. park ranger places a closed sign on a barricade in front of the World War II Memorial in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 26 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Park police and Park Service employees close down the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall on October 1. Hide Caption 27 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Members of the U.S. National Park Service close the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 28 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A U.S. park ranger posts a closed sign at the Lincoln Memorial on October 1. Hide Caption 29 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – People look at a sign announcing that the Statue of Liberty is closed in New York on October 1. Hide Caption 30 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – Fencing around the World War II Memorial prevents people from entering the monument on the National Mall in Washington on October 1. Hide Caption 31 of 32 Photos: Government shutdown of 2013 Government shutdown of 2013 – A U.S. park service police officer stands guard at the entrance of the closed Lincoln Memorial on October 1. Hide Caption 32 of 32

"Utah's national parks are the backbone of many rural economies and hard-working Utahns are paying a heavy price for this shutdown," Herbert said in the released statement. "I commend Secretary Jewell for being open to Utah's solution, and the world should know Utah is open for business and visitors are welcome."

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October is an especially profitable month for Utah's national parks, since optimal weather attracts a high volume of tourists. Typically, officials estimate a $100 million yield for the month, so the parks' closures would have had an especially high impact on the state.

The Department of the Interior is now awaiting a transfer of funds from Utah, at which point it will notify "site-specific" personnel to return to work. The process of opening the parks after receiving the money should take some time, but in a statement from the governor's office, the state anticipates all sites should be "fully operational by Saturday".

In the event that the federal government shutdown drags on longer than the 10 days that have been accounted for, the state of Utah insists it would be able to make additional payments to keep the parks operational.

The agreement between Herbert and Jewell stipulates that the money spent by the state can be reimbursed with Congressional approval. However, as with other funds spent during the shutdown, Congress is under no obligation to refund the bill.

It seems Herbert is quite intent on pursuing repayment, with his office telling reporters "the Governor has engaged Utah's congressional delegation to actively pursue timely repayment to state coffers."