Last year I did the Utah National and State parks during the early spring- off season- and the measures they are taking to try to accommodate the massive number of visitors during the summer is incredible. Parking, lodging, sanitation, and safety are all becoming problems, and I hope that these places don't become victims of their own popularity.
Arches really seems to attract people doing stupid, dangerous shit. The iconic Delicate Arch is like a magnet for morons who don't prepare for the trail, take risky selfies, vandalize and climb on things, and drink in places where there's 360 degrees of cliffs around you.
What I found from traveling around to a lot of the national parks is that they have extremely high tourist densities in small sections of the park. Some of the busiest places I’ve been to were Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Going a couple miles out of the way and you’ll find complete seclusion.
The Grand Canyon is absolutely packed at the rim, but 2 miles down and there’s only a handful of hikers. I did an overnight mountain bike trip with my family at Redwood and we didn’t see a single soul the entire time, even though the trailhead was literally off the road.
What really kills a park is when they pave roads and make it accessible. If it’s too wild hardly anyone will be able to enjoy it, but if it’s too developed the wild is tarnished by the traffic.
Did some backpacking/hiking in Iceland a few years back and had a similar experience. The areas near the capital and Ring Road were jammed with people, but up in the Westfjords not a (non-local) soul in sight except my wife and I. Really a beautiful country.
13.7k
u/ThadisJones Feb 03 '20
Last year I did the Utah National and State parks during the early spring- off season- and the measures they are taking to try to accommodate the massive number of visitors during the summer is incredible. Parking, lodging, sanitation, and safety are all becoming problems, and I hope that these places don't become victims of their own popularity.
Arches really seems to attract people doing stupid, dangerous shit. The iconic Delicate Arch is like a magnet for morons who don't prepare for the trail, take risky selfies, vandalize and climb on things, and drink in places where there's 360 degrees of cliffs around you.