When U.S. National Parks become crowded like Disneyland, are they still worth visiting? Many of the most popular parks are experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand as lockdown-weary Americans head for the great outdoors.
Crowded National Parks Overwhelmed By Visitors
Show up at Arches National Park this summer in Grand County, Utah and you will may be met with a line of cars a mile long and wait times topping two hours to gain access. That’s if you show up before 9:00am. Show up much later and you will be turned away. Visitors are up 15% over 2019 levels. In nearby Canyonland National Park, visitors are up 30%. In Dead Horse Point State Park, visitors have doubled over 2019 levels. Yellowstone National Park vehicle traffic is up 50%
Many of the visitors are first-time visitors and lack manners (to put it bluntly). For example, Moab, UT residents have found human refuse and trash strewn about and last week a wildfire was started by a man-made campfire that was left unattended. It ended up burning over 5,000 acres and requiring the evacuation of two towns. Graffiti is also popping up and people do not follow sings.
I love this quote from Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt of the Bureau of Land Management that appeared in the Wall Street Journal:
“People could be parked right next to a sign that says ‘closed to camping’ and they’re just like, ‘But the app said it was open,’”
Now there is no doubt that many beautiful U.S. National Parks go overlooked, but reading about the crowds and lines and trash frankly makes me want to stay away.
I’d rather just work on my own garden then stand in lines in the summer heat and jostle with people with selfie sticks for prime views.
In fact, I’ve convinced myself…I’m not going to any national parks this summer. There’s always winter, though.
CONCLUSION
Part of me feels like I am missing out by not going to U.S. National Parks on a regular basis (I’ve actually been to many across the country during my lifetime). But as much as I’d like to show my family the beauty around us, it frankly sounds like more trouble than its worth these summer months.
Are you heading out to national parks this summer? If so, what is your strategy to avoid the crowds?
The best time to to national parks is when schools are in session. If you have kids, it is worth missing a few school days so they can visit during the off season.
Get a quarter mile away from the parking lot and you avoid 98% of the people
Hey Matthew,
What Mike said above. We just came back from a trip to Glacier National Park and Jackson Hole, visiting both right before Memorial Day weekend. The only way to go, SHOULDER SEASON. It’s unfortunate to not be able to go when the kids are out of school, or enjoy the benefits of warmer weather (Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed in the middle, due to snow!!!). We’ve gone to Phoenix/Sedona at Christmas, and it snowed on us in Flagstaff. Still beautiful, and very uncrowded.
Seems like there will be no getting around the crowds this summer…
Another suggestion: Do NOT share your pictures visiting popular places on social media. Keep secret locations secret. These places all blew up in popularity after Facebook and Instagram became popular. I for one, rarely share pictures visiting popular places.
I have run many of the rivers and creeks in Glacier National Park, which is one of the few National Parks that we are allowed to access and run rivers without a permit. The secret to this beautiful park, one of my favorites, is to charter a Cessna out of Kalispell to fly you in to one of the grandfathered landing strips in some of the remote areas. You can then hike out for a few days, camping along the way. We use them to get to the rivers deep inside as there are no other accessible approaches otherwise. But hikers can also utilize them and is a great way to get deep inside and avoid the masses. No miles for the flights, but fun nonetheless, especially being crammed into an overweight Cessna loaded with kayaks and gear, lol.
Ive been going to a lot of parks the last few years and have mixed feelings about this…
Was terrified of similiar reports at Yosemite, so decided to go mid-week two weeks ago. The capacity limiting reservation system was fantastic, had no issue parking in prime lots. I’m sure it will be worse on weekends in July, but if you pick weekdays or shoulder season you really dont have it that bad.
I was in Arches/Canyonlands during labor day of 2019 and there were multiple news articles of overcrowding which I thought were overblown. There were plenty of people to be sure, but it wasnt THAT bad.
Have also visited south rim of grand canyon (pretty much always mobbed). Other parks out east like Shenendoah and Acadia weren’t bad though.
As a kayaker for decades that has run rivers all over the world, including pretty much every canyon imaginable out West, there are many alternatives to the National Parks. River trips, while often permitted for multi-days, offer a far better experience in truly dropping out and immersing oneself in pristine areas where you will barely see other people.
Of all my favorite U.S. areas the Middle Fork Salmon Wild and Scenic Area is one of the truly breathtaking and exceptional undertakings. I have kayaked this 100 mile stretch over five days nearly every year for the past 15 years on my own permit with friends, but non-kayakers have the option of paying to jump on a commercial rafting trip that will handle everything, some even bringing top chefs to cook. While everyone talks about the Grand, and it is spectacular, the Middle Fork is overall a much better experience in my opinion (and much better whitewater). It doesn’t require 15 days and it’s rarely blazing hot. And it ranks as one of the most beautiful stretches of river anywhere in the world. Most trips will be five days and run around $2400 pp. Trust me, you will never forget it. As well, the trip starts in Stanley, Idaho, which ranks as one of the most stunning locations of a town you have ever seen and worth a day or two of hikes before the river.
Less beautiful, but more accessible (and less cost), is a 3-4 day Rogue trip in Oregon. Pristine area, beautiful canyon, and lovely beaches to camp at night. While the river itself is less exciting as far as difficulty, it is enough for most to get a taste of dropping in to a multi-day.
My point in this is that while people rush to the National Parks, there are countless amazing areas off the beaten track that you can opt for during the summer that will truly offer a wilderness experience. Those are two of my suggestions.
I totally agree with Stuart about the beautiful Idaho wilderness we have. But, I must say that Stanley has become getting busy over the last 2-3 years during Summer. I don’t think its a secret anymore.
So nice to see someone who appreciates this area! I usually am in Stanley in early June as it’s when I often score a permit for the Middle Fork, then it’s pretty much empty. Never been there in July or August though and I can imagine it can get crowded. I also hang around a bit in the three rivers area of the Lochsa and Selway. Also beautiful runs and stunning areas. I hope people keep flocking to Utah. Idaho is the real gem.
I would support short jail sentences for those who litter in a National park. WHAT THE HECK is wrong with people !?
I’m headed out on a multiple National Parks road trip tomorrow. I’ll report back on what I find.
In general, though, 98% of the overcrowding is attributable to maybe 5-10% of the entire system. Yes, if you want to visit Old Faithful on the weekend, it’s going to be bad, but there’s TONS of other options within Yellowstone without crowds. Or go mid-week. As one data point, we went to Joshua Tree on Thanksgiving Day last year. The Joshua Tree entrance had a 2-hour wait, but we headed 20 minutes down the road to 29 Palms and there was no wait and empty roads. Go where the tourists ain’t; a little internet sleuthing will tell you where.
That doesn’t apply to most national parks where you have to go through the main entrance first. Rarely are there other roads where you can skip the entrance line.
I’m outdoorsy in that I like drinking margaritas on patios.
Wherever people are flocking to, I am not.
We did Gran Teton and Yellowstone last summer with a private local guide who kept us away from the worst of the crowds. The number of cars and people was absolutely unbelievable at the popular sites, cars parked for two to three miles along the entrances.
In my home state of PA, the state parks system is regularly issuing warnings that parks will be closed due to capacity issues on the weekends..
We just left Moab 2 days ago. Arches was great if you waited to visit until after 12pm. We chose to visit the two days we were in town until around dinnertime. Sunset was at 8:45 pm, so plenty of time to stop at most of the major, and several of the minor sites. The only line we encountered was at the Island in the Sky entrance to Canyonlands, which I am pretty sure is the most visited part of Canyonlands, our wait was 50″ at 9:00 am on Monday.
At the moment entire swathes of the west are experiencing a nasty heat wave. It really impacted our visit in that we did only limited hiking as a consequence of the extreme heat. It got to 112F on our second day, and we chose to cut short our planned three night stay, and return to Vail, where the mountain elevation made for much more comfortable temperatures, just 90F. We also were bothered by smoke from the wildfire close in to Moab, which had already been burning for a week when we got into town this week.
I spent 4 days in Moab, Utah, the week after Memorial Day. At 10:00 am, Arches Natl Park was closed with “come back in 3-5 hours” posted. We went immediately on the half-hour drive to Canyonlands, and had about a 30 min wait to get in. Not very crowded once inside, Afterwards, we went to Dead Horse Point, and had no entry wait at about 2 pm, and no wait at Arches the same day at about 4 pm. That far west in the time zone, the sun wasn’t setting until 9 pm, so still beautiful views. We spent about 3 hours in Arches. Granted, it was hot, at about 104 on the ground, but living in Houston, I’m used to heat, and I had SPF 70 and a big-ass hat. With only 20% humidity it was glorious, at least to this swamp-dweller. Wildfires were not yet an issue the week we were there.
Lesson: show up to the Natl Park at 7 or 8 am, or (if you have a hat and can stand the heat) after 3 pm.
Maybe it’s just me or that I’m crazy but my biggest complaint with National Parks is that many cost so much. We pay a lot in taxes and these belong to US Citizens so the cost for entry (without the extra stuff, special exhibits, etc. ) should be free or nearly.
Sadly, people tend to ruin everything. And I hate crowds, especially in what is supposed to be a wild and beautiful place. Those stories of idiots leaving campfires unattended and GRAFITTI literally piss me off. What kind of lowlife grafittis a national park and ruins it for everyone else? One that should be shot, that’s who.
Personally, given the crowds this summer, I would avoid the more popular national parks for now. The weather in places like southern UT and AZ will be beautiful through September, so a visit from late August onward (other than Labor Day weekend) would probably work well there – as it would for most other regions. Once October comes, it’s more dicey in places like Glacier or Yellowstone/Grand Teton; the weather could be great or it could snow. But it won’t be crowded.
There is a good “secret” to getting into Arches on a super busy day, but you need a high clearance vehicle and know what you are doing. Its actually not THAT big of a secret, as its clearly marked on park maps. But yeah, make sure you have 4 wheel drive and high clearance. This isn’t something for someone in a rented family SUV to do.
Tomorrow my wife and I will be in Channel Islands National Park. As always, reservations are required to visit by boat.
Isle Royale and Dry Tortugas also require boat reservations, so getting there will be the same as pre-Covid.
We are focusing on traveling to places that have timed entry and capacity limits. We buy tickets in advance and don’t worry about crowds.
I would create chain gangs for anyone littering, posting graffiti or defacing any National Park. Mandatory 1 year jail and weekly work detail. No probation or parole. After all these parks are the property of us all, or at least to those citizens who pay taxes. You wouldn’t deface your own house, would you?
I hope that includes insurrectionists defacing the Capitol. Add another 20 years f0r everything else they did.
@Stuart this post concerns crowds and their effect on National Parks. You are welcome to suggest another post elsewhere regarding politics and protests. Please stay on topic. Wandering off topic degrades the travel orientation of this entire site.
We frequently visited Arches starting in 2007 and often had things to ourselves. After 2014 we gave up on it and today is crazy crowded compared to even then. Now we take our old Jeep and find unbeaten paths in Utah, our point of going to the outdoors is the peace and solitude you can find, not being able to drive to a short hike. But then we’re lucky to call this beautiful place home