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Is Anyone Visiting America's National Parks?
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There is perhaps nowhere in the world that has both the quantity and quality of National Parks as those which grace the backcountry of America.
That is why I found it so depressing to recently learn that attendance in these National Parks is dropping at alarming rates.
According to an article by Julie Cart in The Los Angeles Times, America's National Parks have seen a 20% decrease in overnight visitors in the last ten years and a 24% decrease in those camping in the backcountry. Even Yosemite, the most famous of the National Parks has seen a 9% decrease.
This is simply horrendous!
The amazing natural resources in our own backyards should not be neglected and ignored. They cost very little to visit and offer a wealth of beauty, respite, and solace in return.
So why the decrease?
If you ask me, I could go on a long diatribe about modern laziness, expectation of immediate gratification, pre-packaged Disney adventures, a dying sense of adventure, and an obsession with safety.
The National Park Service has a few ideas of their own. A basic premise is that family vacationers are still seeking out "soft" adventure but would rather retire to a nice hotel afterwards and are therefore vacationing elsewhere.
Another theory, based upon a recent Nature Conservancy study, hardly comes as a surprise to me. Apparently there is a "correlation between the drop in national park visits and the increasing popularity of at-home entertainment, including video games and the Internet."
One surprising answer uncovered in the article is the lack of appeal the parks have in the minority community. Come to think of it, I almost never see minorities when visiting National Parks--just campervans full of toe-headed kids and their lily-white parents. I'm not sure why, but the National Park demographic is something right out of the O.C.
So, it seems that a variety of factors are affecting attendance and none of them are good. I suppose, however, that if there is a silver lining, it is the fact that the parks will be less crowded in the future and therefore more enjoyable.
Filed under: Hiking, United States, Camping
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
richard Jan 19th 2007 3:05PM
i for one would love to visit our natural parks,however i have no intention of camping or staying in any moderate lodge. when they start building 5 star resorts in proximity of the natural parks i will be first one line.
Toni Jan 19th 2007 3:13PM
Seems to me like this is a good thing. Last time I was in a national park they were very concerned about the impact that the massive numbers of people were having on it.......... As for me I love the parks and the only real way to experience them is to camp who needs a 5 star resort?
judy Feb 3rd 2007 1:16AM
personally, I think a big reason is the "Nazi like" attitude of the Park Service and the Forest Service rangers etc. It has become quite apparent that these over the top tree hugging types would be very happy if not one person ever visited these parks and every single building could be torn down and left to "go back to nature". There is a definite attitude these people have. The only problem is that the less people visiting means the less people careing and being willing to fund the preservation of these wonderful places. These ranger folks would also be totally out of a job. Maybe they should re-think their strategy. They also want to ban all horses from the wilderness areas. Gee, I wonder what John Muir would think about that? There is a pervasive attitude of restricing access so it's no wonder that less people can go. As an example, if you want to hike Mt. Whitney this year,you have to pack out your own feces. If that doesn't discourage people from using these wilderness areas what does?
Walt Jakubisyn Jan 19th 2007 3:26PM
Is is sad that so many people miss out on our national treasures because there is no 5 star hotel nearby! This summer, I took my 14 year old son on a cross country national parks tour. We visited 22 national parks, and many historic sites. We generally stayed in commercial campgrounds just outside the parks (camping within a park tends to be more primitive) but the places we stayed had hot showers, restaurants, pools, hot tubs, game rooms, activities, etc. We just slept in tents on air matresses, instead of hotel beds (for about $25 a night, I might add!) We cooked over a campfire, packed up the truck in the morning, and headed to the next destination! We had a wonderful time, saw many amazing sights, and created memories that will last a lifetime. I've stayed in 5 star hotels around the world, across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, but some of the best times I've had have been tent camping in and around America's National Parks! This is something everyone should do at least once..you won't regret it!
Karen Jan 19th 2007 4:36PM
After three visits to Yellowstone (granted, in high season)and failing to appreciate "wildlife on welfare" my advise would be to get off your butt, out of your car and either backpack or take pack horses (or Llamas)into the backcountry. The Ritz will still be there after you arrive back from an amazing encounter with the true beauty of the National Parks.
Phil Jan 19th 2007 5:29PM
has anyone thought of the declining summer family vacation? With schools eating up all of the summertime for the cause of a "better education", how about the education in the outdoors? The National Parks provide our best outdoor classroom!
grrrarrrgh Jan 19th 2007 5:45PM
OH PLEASE. the real reason they're seeing a decrease in overnight visitors is because the NPS/DNC is trying to price out the common folk from visiting!
have you seen the prices for staying in Yosemite? it's freaking ridiculous.
do you want to stay in a Curry Village cabin? if you can MANAGE to get a reservation, the price starts @ 110 a night.
housekeeping? 75 bucks
one of the few hotels in the park? the ahwanee 400, the wawona 200 PER NIGHT
to add insult to injury, the cost of food is getting near ridiculous! the DNC really needs to rethink the crap burger for 7 dollars idea.
i think the only way to actually visit yosemite for free these days is to do backcountry, provided you can snag a wilderness permit (which the rangers will check for)
Allyn Jan 19th 2007 5:50PM
I am quite surprised this is seen as a concern. For many years I have followed the NPS and their concern about over-crowding and polution. I would think the NPS and support organization would view this report with a sigh of relief.
Willy Jan 19th 2007 6:40PM
I'm going to go with grrrarrrgh on this one. My trip to the Grand Canyon was so expensive, we accepted it as a wedding gift from my father.
Dominick Panarello Jan 19th 2007 8:27PM
The argument of price increases is a "chicken or the egg" debate... Do increases in prices drive away visitors, or does a decrease in visitors necessitate an increase in cost? The answer is, both, and, neither. Trust me, there have been numerous studies which support both ideas. The cold, hard, truth is, the amount of money going into our national park service is declining every year. The parks are trying their hardest just to keep the parks afloat, in many cases. While larger parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone will most likely never have to worry about drastic actions, smaller parks have already begun to feel the squeeze of dwindling budgets.
I'm a member of the National Park Fund, and last summer I managed to visit about a dozen new national parks that I have never visited before. It's a shame that they have to be run like a business, but until we have a better solution, I would rather see them running at a higher cost than not at all.
As for the argument about 5 star hotels.. to each his own. However, if you need to get out of a park by a certain time so that you can make it back to your hotel, you're always going to miss some of the beauty that lies just off the trail.
powell, ray Jan 22nd 2007 12:58PM
wonder what the decrease or increase is at the grand, I have tried for 3 years to get a permit for a rim to rim hike and each time I was told they were sold out months for the off season and a year or more for high season.
also I would bet that there are more folks visiting other areas that are not parks and much less traffic therefore a more "wilderness experience" usually no permits or fees required. I hike and campout 30 to 40 days per year and never in a Nat'l park. I am also lucky to have a huge forest service area close to home a few million acres of montains and forest so no need to see a nat'l park. As for 5 star hotels guess I am missing something(?) I am a motel 6 guy myself.