Industrial tourism is killing our national parks.
America’s national parks are some of the most stunning and wonderful places in the world.
Yet, most people’s park experience is one of traffic jams, high entrance fees, and crowded trails. Today’s national parks are more like theme parks.
It’s no surprise that we now have a culture of “park bagging”, trying to see as many parks as fast as possible. Many visitors ask rangers how to “see everything” in less than an hour.
Can you imagine? Reducing hundreds of miles of hidden wonders of the Grand Canyon… to a one-hour drive-through.
How did we get here?
The creation of Yellowstone in 1872, America’s first national park, marks the beginning of the American public land conservation movement. While flawed from the beginning (namely with the exclusion of Native people from their homelands) it was an effort to set aside land from unfettered extraction and commercialization, to govern a place for bison, bears, and wolves as much as for people. In short, to keep some of America wild.
National parks were also established for recreation, though that looked much different in the late 1800s. For half a century, the most common way to see a national park was by getting on a train, and either riding a horse or hiking into the backcountry.
Industrial tourism took decades to start, ramping up during the post-WW2 automotive boom. Suddenly, millions of urban Americans had their own way into the deepest wildlands of the country, and the government was eager to pave their way into paradise.
In 1941 there were 20 million visitors to the national parks. By 1961 visitation had grown to 78 million.
Today, annual visitation is well over 300 million and the national parks are exploited for a different kind of industry. Instead of furs and gold, we extract odometer miles, social media photos, gift shop trinkets, and bragging rights. And all of this is supported by an agency that promotes short-term attendance over long-term preservation.
National parks are no longer a place to cherish but something to check off.
So what can be done?
The twin missions of national parks are those of preservation and providing enjoyment to the people.
“Checklist tourism,” the default experience in most parks, fails at both preservation and enjoyment.
We have found another way that does better at both. You will have more fun and the parks will be more protected.
The solution to both saving our vacations and our parks is to visit them—slowly.
Our Vision
Socrates said, “the secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less”.
The answer to whether you can see the Grand Canyon in an hour is no. You can’t. And that is a good thing. That our public lands are so vast, so beautiful, and so diverse is a gift. We can’t “see everything”, not in one lifetime anyway.
Let’s stop trying to collect parks and spend more time trying to connect to parks. When we slow down we see more, we experience more, and we feel more.
A slower approach has changed fashion, food, and travel. It’s about time we apply that ethic to recreation. By slowing down, and governing parks toward that end, we can ensure our public lands serve a higher purpose.
A paradigm of mindful, conscientious exploration won’t just change the parks, it might just change your life.
5 Things You Can Do
- Opt local. Whether that be a nearby national park or a city park. Explore what recreation looks like close to home.
- Spend more time in fewer parks. Instead of doing a whirlwind trip of 5 national parks, spend more time in 1 park and truly experience it. Your experience will be so much more meaningful.
- For those that can, get out of your car and onto a trail, a bike, a horse, or a canoe. Slower methods of travel allow you to see and do more.
- Connect with an area in a way that’s meaningful to you. If you like rocks, go to a geology park. If you like islands and water, go to an Island park.
- Stay the night. Half the park is after dark! Staying the night outside shows us Nature’s pace and opens a world of opportunity.
5 steps for the Department of Interior & Congress
- Provide public transport in National Parks and limit private vehicle use
- End new road-building in Parks and Monuments
- Limit visitation at high-use parks, beginning with a lottery system for non-U.S. resident visitors.
- Increase funding for staff and conservation efforts on DOI–managed land.
- Administer roadless areas in National Parks as if designated wilderness