More and more people are flocking to America’s National
Parks, and who can blame them? There are 60 National Parks in the USA across 28
different states. Each of these parks offers something different to visitors; experience
sandstone arches, vast deserts, imposing glaciers, massive forests, and so much
more. With so many options there’s a National Park out there for everyone.
But with hundreds of millions of visitors, National Parks
are feeling the strain. One of the biggest problems is that visitors tend to
flock to the most popular National Parks. The Grand Canyon, Smoky Mountains,
and Arches National Park receive millions of visitors, while other parks only
see 20,000 visitors a year.
A lot of solutions are being discussed to protect the parks
and improve the experience for visitors. Park reservations, daily visitor caps,
and increased entry fees are all on the table and being discussed. Some parks
require the use of a shuttle to protect the wildlife from vehicles and
pollution.
But turning away visitors goes against the very mission of
National Parks. These parks are meant to be open for visitors so that people
can see the beauty of the natural world. But too many people can cause damage
to these parks that cannot be rectified. Many national Parks lack the funding
and staff to keep the parks safe. An increase in visitors leads to an increase
in dangers for the regular park visitor as well, such as becoming lost or dangerous
interactions with wildlife.
The National Park Service is also trying to encourage nature
enthusiasts to head to less popular, but no less beautiful, National Parks. For
example, Utah has five National Parks, but not all of them get the same foot
traffic despite having similar geographical features. Officials hope that
thinning out crowds in this way will make both the people and the parks happy.
The rise in lists such as Top Instagram Spots has led to an
even larger increase of travelers stopping at a destination only to snap a
photo. Instead of hiking to a beautiful viewpoint and simply stopping to take
it in, many people find themselves herded along with a crowd and given dirty
looks when they don’t immediately pull out a camera, take a photo, and move on.
While all of this is inconvenient for the traveler, it also
has a huge impact on the nature that visitor is admiring. Tourists are crushing
important vegetation, getting too close to wildlife, littering, and hiking in
restricted areas. Not only is this awful for the environment, but many of these
practices can endanger visitors as well.
So what does the future of our National Parks look like?
Maybe a visit to popular parks will require you to join a guided tour. Maybe
reservations to enter the park will need to be made in advanced. In the future
there could be a system that only allows a certain amount of people to enter a
park every hour.
All of these solutions sound unpleasant but could actually
be good for the tourist as well. Viewing natural wonders when you are
surrounded by hundreds of people can steal the majesty and beauty of the place.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to stop and observe the natural landmark you
want to see at your own pace, without having to shove your way to the front of
a line of people?
So if you’re planning a visit to a National Park, do your
homework. Avoid traveling during peak seasons and consider visiting a less
popular park. While visiting, respect the park and keep it clean. We all have
to do our part to keep these beautiful places safe for future generations.
