Do you think National Park visitation popularity will go down?

[Anonymous]

Well, you can count our family out at least for the foreseeable future. We tried one big NP/nature type vacation and my two teens enjoyed it for about two days. Even my husband and I were done after 4. We discarded any future plans to go to NPs. Maybe he and I will go in retirement. Maybe. So there’s 4 fewer people to clog it up.

[Anonymous]

No, people who do their research know you have to book way ahead.

Plus there are always day visitors who live /stay in the environs.

[Anonymous]

In our recent experience out to Utah parks during shoulder season, we found that MANY of the visitors were foreigners. Large busloads of foreigners.

There were so many -- moving en masse, difficult to avoid and get around, created a lot of noise and were primarily interested in taking selfies. We were even surprised to see large clusters of them attempting to go on trails, despite not having proper shoes, water, etc.

Americans have to come to grips with the fact that many others in the world now have the means to travel and are coming here to see the USA.

The tourism nightmares that Europeans have dealt with for years are now ours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should really try camping.

Bears.

And men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not believe it will. It saddens me, since I grew up visiting national parks and stopped in 2019 when the crowds grew too much for me to handle, but it is what it is.

Saddens you? You grew up visiting them but are sad that others now visit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:getting lodging inside the park has always been difficult and something that you need to book a year in advance, not a few months before. Same goes for hotels nearby.

the timed entry passes is a newer issue. We haven't done a US national park in years but even 9 years ago there was no timed entry.

Went to Yellowstone before pandemic and only lucked into hotel rooms four months ahead of time because a new hotel building in the park opened ahead of schedule. It cost more money per night than a Manhattan hotel.

Same here. We went to Tetons in 2011 and had to book a few month before because we were waiting for our daycare provider's vacation dates. The only reason we found a place to stay was because the KOA had just built new cabins. We also go lucky with another property for the second half of the trip, I think because you couldn't just book online and had to actually call.

But even when we went to Zion in 2005 the lodge inside the park itself was known for being fully booked a year out.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

I do think the people going "hey, why is the place I want to visit so crowded". Well, uh, you're there too. You can't fault others for having the exact same idea you did.

National Parks are supposed to be a shared resource so they're going to try to accommodate as many people as possible. They're not supposed to be exclusive.

If you do research you can find some quieter spots or off times, it just takes work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe identify some state and regional parks not yet discovered by the instagram folks.

I love how everyone blames "instagram" for this issue. I take it you've NEVER searched online for things to do / places to go? Because if you have -- if you've EVER found out about somewhere you'd like to go via the internet, youre just as 'bad' as these 'instagram' folks.

I'm old. I traveled around northern India for 2 months and used 3x24 shot camera films. That was before there was an internet. I guess I was part of the "library book" set.

Now I use the internet to find places to avoid.

Yet you are here on a travel forum. LOL.

That's because I haven't got any homework to do or APs I should be studying for.

Ba-zinga

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think the people going "hey, why is the place I want to visit so crowded". Well, uh, you're there too. You can't fault others for having the exact same idea you did.

National Parks are supposed to be a shared resource so they're going to try to accommodate as many people as possible. They're not supposed to be exclusive.

If you do research you can find some quieter spots or off times, it just takes work.

It sucks that they are so crowded but I cannot get on board with this reservation system. It takes the accessibility of our NP away. I get they want to control crowds, but come on. Everyone should be able to access these lands.

And all you have to do is hike to escape crowds. Most people never set much more than a few feet away from their car at national parks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:getting lodging inside the park has always been difficult and something that you need to book a year in advance, not a few months before. Same goes for hotels nearby.

the timed entry passes is a newer issue. We haven't done a US national park in years but even 9 years ago there was no timed entry.

Went to Yellowstone before pandemic and only lucked into hotel rooms four months ahead of time because a new hotel building in the park opened ahead of schedule. It cost more money per night than a Manhattan hotel.

Same here. We went to Tetons in 2011 and had to book a few month before because we were waiting for our daycare provider's vacation dates. The only reason we found a place to stay was because the KOA had just built new cabins. We also go lucky with another property for the second half of the trip, I think because you couldn't just book online and had to actually call.

But even when we went to Zion in 2005 the lodge inside the park itself was known for being fully booked a year out.

When we visited some parks in the Southwest back in the 1980s some of the best places had to be booked a year out.

I blame the Amazon mindset that everything should be available to you for cheap in days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think the people going "hey, why is the place I want to visit so crowded". Well, uh, you're there too. You can't fault others for having the exact same idea you did.

National Parks are supposed to be a shared resource so they're going to try to accommodate as many people as possible. They're not supposed to be exclusive.

If you do research you can find some quieter spots or off times, it just takes work.

It sucks that they are so crowded but I cannot get on board with this reservation system. It takes the accessibility of our NP away. I get they want to control crowds, but come on. Everyone should be able to access these lands.

And all you have to do is hike to escape crowds. Most people never set much more than a few feet away from their car at national parks.

You can if you plan ahead.

[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.

It's called capitalism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe identify some state and regional parks not yet discovered by the instagram folks.

I love how everyone blames "instagram" for this issue. I take it you've NEVER searched online for things to do / places to go? Because if you have -- if you've EVER found out about somewhere you'd like to go via the internet, youre just as 'bad' as these 'instagram' folks.

I'm old. I traveled around northern India for 2 months and used 3x24 shot camera films. That was before there was an internet. I guess I was part of the "library book" set.

Now I use the internet to find places to avoid.

What is a "3x24 shot camera films"? Do you mean you used 3 rolls of film?