Do you think National Park visitation popularity will go down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, you can definitely save money and go camping. But you rather sh*t all over camping, so the alternative is paying the hotel prices.

Dont complain about being bougie and then complain about being too cheap

I love this.

Who said anyone was shtting on camping? Some people like it, some people don't. Hotels in and around np's are horribly overpriced, it's a fact. We wanted to stay at the Springhill Suites (a SPRINGHILL SUITES, not a JW) in Jackson, WY last year and it was $800 a night. Give me a gd break.

OP says "and camping sucks" so yes, that is shitting on camping.

Camping is like cooking from scratch or gardening. You have to enjoy the entire process and not just the end result or it is not worth it.

NP - I gotta say - I Fing HATE camping. But your analogy sounds exactly right I have zero interest in the entire process of camping (DH loves it). He took me camping my first time in Banff which I have to say is must be the ideal camping experience!? still hated it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

OP here and I agree. We are not interested in camping and yeah, i don't like it -- to me, it does suck, but if you enjoy it, that's great. We all are different. Did it as a teen and early 20-something and I'm not doing it anymore. I don't enjoy it, I don't have any desire to buy or rent equipment and deal with setting up campsites and cooking every meal and using gross, rarely-cleaned bathrooms. We weren't looking for luxury (hence, my Best Western example) and I know the hotels outside the parks are expensive -- I've been to glacier as recently as 2022 so I get it. Price all this out and yes, it's cheaper to go overseas somewhere. We're doing Ireland and Iceland (Iceland is a stopover) and got great airfare. The most expensive thing was our Iceland rental car and the price we paid for it was almost the same as renting a car from the Bozeman or Kalispell airports. The flights were cheaper, the lodging was cheaper and we get to experience a new culture.

Japan is on my list too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, you can definitely save money and go camping. But you rather sh*t all over camping, so the alternative is paying the hotel prices.

Dont complain about being bougie and then complain about being too cheap

I love this.

Who said anyone was shtting on camping? Some people like it, some people don't. Hotels in and around np's are horribly overpriced, it's a fact. We wanted to stay at the Springhill Suites (a SPRINGHILL SUITES, not a JW) in Jackson, WY last year and it was $800 a night. Give me a gd break.

OP says "and camping sucks" so yes, that is shitting on camping.

Camping is like cooking from scratch or gardening. You have to enjoy the entire process and not just the end result or it is not worth it.

NP - I gotta say - I Fing HATE camping. But your analogy sounds exactly right I have zero interest in the entire process of camping (DH loves it). He took me camping my first time in Banff which I have to say is must be the ideal camping experience!? still hated it!

Banff is one of my favorite places on earth and I'd turn down a trip there if I had to camp. No thanks, there are plenty of hotels in Banff and Canmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

As many people have pointed out, you don't have to buy the equipment. But by all means, continue complaining about things you've never done and have no clue about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

As many people have pointed out, you don't have to buy the equipment. But by all means, continue complaining about things you've never done and have no clue about.

As was already stated in the same post, dimwit, renting all of that trash is still expensive. Have fun sleeping outside when it is 90+ degrees and mosquitoes are everywhere. Or getting caught in a huge downpour that makes your entire campsite a muddy mess. Yeah, camping is oh so much fun for outrageous prices while having to gamble on the weather not ruining everything for you.

The fact that camping is even required to make traveling to national parks in the US affordable is a complete joke. Way to miss the forest for the trees.

Yes, what a vacation when you have to go and bring your own poop back with you:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/waste-management.htm

For the love of God, give me Japan any day of the week for almost the same price and 20x better food and accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

As many people have pointed out, you don't have to buy the equipment. But by all means, continue complaining about things you've never done and have no clue about.

Ha, keep telling yourself you love camping. Meanwhile, I'd like to have a real place to stay. Would rather not spend my precious pto staying in large campsites that look and feel like refugee camps. Who wants to build a roof over their head every right, fending for themselves? what about inclement weather? Have you ever put up a tent in a hailstorm? I have, it sucks. That's not a vacation, that's work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just thinking about this. A few months ago, we attempted to plan a trip out to Glacier NP, Yellowstone and Grand Teton and it was horrifically expensive, when accounting for a rental car, flights, and lodging -- camping is out of the question -- we do not have the equipment plus we are flying. Also camping sucks). I couldn't find lodging within these parks so these were all at places in the gateway communities like West Yellowstone and West Glacier. And even then, was looking at over $400/night for some Best Western. To add on to this, you need day use reservations for like each area of Glacier National Park and we couldn't score those for the days we wanted (yes I know we could get them the day before or go before the gates open).

I know lodging in and nearby these parks can get expensive - I've been to all of them before, several times, but we wanted to bring the kids now that they're older and can tackle some of the big hikes. The reservation system is annoying because it takes all spontaneity out of the equation - if it's 50 degrees and pouring rain on the day you have your Many Glacier reservation and wanted to hike Grinnell Glacier, well, too bad.

Do you think visitation is ever going to go down? I know it's been up during the covid years, which made sense. But now that the world is open (and has been for years), and everyone can travel pretty much everywhere. You'd think it would go down.

We opted for an Iceland/Ireland trip instead, and it's actually cheaper which is crazy because it used to be doing a domestic trip to the national parks was a budget vacation. Not so much anymore. Hotels in Iceland were cheaper than that Best Western example I gave above.

So just so you know, hotels have always been cheaper in Iceland. I went many, many years ago and was thrilled at how cheap the flight and hotel was when I planned the trip. The cost of gas and the rental car plus food was insanely high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, you can definitely save money and go camping. But you rather sh*t all over camping, so the alternative is paying the hotel prices.

Dont complain about being bougie and then complain about being too cheap

I love this.

Who said anyone was shtting on camping? Some people like it, some people don't. Hotels in and around np's are horribly overpriced, it's a fact. We wanted to stay at the Springhill Suites (a SPRINGHILL SUITES, not a JW) in Jackson, WY last year and it was $800 a night. Give me a gd break.

All the motels and hotels in Jackson Hole are really nice. It’s Jackson Hole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, you can definitely save money and go camping. But you rather sh*t all over camping, so the alternative is paying the hotel prices.

Dont complain about being bougie and then complain about being too cheap

I love this.

Who said anyone was shtting on camping? Some people like it, some people don't. Hotels in and around np's are horribly overpriced, it's a fact. We wanted to stay at the Springhill Suites (a SPRINGHILL SUITES, not a JW) in Jackson, WY last year and it was $800 a night. Give me a gd break.

All the motels and hotels in Jackson Hole are really nice. It’s Jackson Hole.

+1. Its cracking me up that someone is too cheap to spend $800/night on a hotel but too good for Springhill Suites and Hampton Inn. Its expensive to be a snob!

[Anonymous]

Wow so many complaints on this chain. Park maintenance is funded by tax dollars, as many people as possible should enjoy them. Do you want a domestic tourist discount on airfare and hotel rates? All popular vacations require advance planning and are not going to magically come together 3 weeks in advance. This is life in 2024, welcome to reality!!

[Anonymous]

I actually hope MORE people discover the national parks, freeing up space in the places that I want to travel!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

As many people have pointed out, you don't have to buy the equipment. But by all means, continue complaining about things you've never done and have no clue about.

As was already stated in the same post, dimwit, renting all of that trash is still expensive. Have fun sleeping outside when it is 90+ degrees and mosquitoes are everywhere. Or getting caught in a huge downpour that makes your entire campsite a muddy mess. Yeah, camping is oh so much fun for outrageous prices while having to gamble on the weather not ruining everything for you.

The fact that camping is even required to make traveling to national parks in the US affordable is a complete joke. Way to miss the forest for the trees.

Yes, what a vacation when you have to go and bring your own poop back with you:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/waste-management.htm

For the love of God, give me Japan any day of the week for almost the same price and 20x better food and accommodations.

This is a deal breaker. I’m too old to carry poop around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

Car camping requires a tent, a sleeping bag, and maybe a sleeping pad. I can fit all of that in a checked bag size backpack. Didn't cost me much money and doesn't take up much space in my place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

Car camping requires a tent, a sleeping bag, and maybe a sleeping pad. I can fit all of that in a checked bag size backpack. Didn't cost me much money and doesn't take up much space in my place.

Agree. We lived in a 2 BR apartment with 2 kids & still had camping gear. Also, most national park campgrounds have bathrooms with sinks and real flush toilets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is WAY too expensive to travel to many US national parks. Traveling in the US overall is extraordinarily expensive. For many parks, lodging and food are limited. Businesses know that and therefore gauge the CRAP out of people traveling to national parks. It's absurd having to pay $300+ per night for what is tantamount to 1 star lodging around many national parks. Then you have to pay $30 per plate of food at any restaurants in the area that serve garbage quality cuisine. I can't stand traveling in the USA anymore. Such a goddamn ripoff.

Or you can camp, buy groceries to make sandwiches, etc. There are certainly cheaper ways to do it.

Camping still requires you to go out and spend $$$$ buying all of the stupid equipment. Many people don't own homes and Iive in apartments and have no where to store all of that junk. You can go out and rent it but it still costs $$$$. It also sucks balls to poop in a bag and shower is absolutely filthy facilities that are barely cleaned.

Face it, traveling in the US blows. I'd rather spend an extra $700 and fly into Japan than say Seattle to visit Olympic National Park, and then enjoy way, way wayyyy better food lodging and just as gorgeous outdoor scenery over in Japan given that the yen is now 160:1. Much better than getting your behind reamed in the US for outrageous park fees, lodging, and food prices in the US. Traveling in the US sucks because it is so insanely expensive.

Car camping requires a tent, a sleeping bag, and maybe a sleeping pad. I can fit all of that in a checked bag size backpack. Didn't cost me much money and doesn't take up much space in my place.

Agree. We lived in a 2 BR apartment with 2 kids & still had camping gear. Also, most national park campgrounds have bathrooms with sinks and real flush toilets.

Really? That’s surprising because most of the parking lots and trailheads seem to have those nasty hole-in-the-ground toilets that aren’t cleaned.