I was in Josh that year and the rangers kicked us out. We planned to sneak in and climb for free, but theRanger told us none of them were actually going to stop working, they were just going to be patrolling keeping people out. He patted his shotgun as he said this. The only monetary saving was they didnt have to keep replacing the toilet paper, i think.
So we all went to Red Rocks, where the loop road was closed to cars, but you could still walk in, and had a great time for our remaining week of holiday.