Overcrowding - not just an international problem

Cruise tourists sometimes get a lot of flak, but instagrammers are by far the worst in my view.

Those articles make me want to stay home. Very interesting, Philip.

The upside to this is more people getting the education of traveling, although some are clearly too stupid to benefit, like the ones who try to take selfies with the bison in Yellowstone.

I love our national parks, but the NPS or Department of Interior really needs to set caps on how many visitors are permitted entrance on a daily basis.

Many of Europe's oldest and most popular (and thus, most fragile) sights have daily visitor limits. I just toured the Alhambra in Spain last month and there are strict visitation procedures to help preserve what is already a significantly damaged structure.

People who oppose the visitation caps always claim that the natural parks are for everyone, but I worry that if we continue to visit these natural marvels at our current trend, they will be damaged irreparably and, ironically, will exist for no one.

The Instagram and social media culture doesn't help either. On my last visit to Horseshoe Bend in Arizona (one of the locations prominently featured in The Guardian article), there were people posing for selfies on the very edge of the cliff and recklessly climbing rocks to get a marginally better view. It's not about enjoying nature anymore, it's about boosting one's appearance of worldliness.

I often encourage people contemplating a visit to our National Parks to go the extra distance and visit some of the less-popular (but still extremely worthwhile) parks.

Instead of Zion, go to Capitol Reef. Skip over Arches and explore Canyonlands. Dive into Kings Canyon rather than Yosemite.

I think it's similar to how many of the more experienced European travelers on this forum enjoy the more far-flung destinations like Bulgaria, Estonia and Ukraine rather than the heavy-hitters of Italy, France and the U.K.

There's nothing wrong with any of those places, but the reward of venturing off the beaten path and immersing oneself in a unique, authentic location is something that even the most-seasoned traveler can cherish.

All of the above is only tangentially related to Europe, but that's my experience with our national parks.

Darn it. Forgot the selfie. I camped in Yellowstone a couple of decades ago in early June. We were the only ones in the campground. It snowed a little overnight. When we woke up, we were surrounded by a herd of bison. Their footsteps were like Jurassic Park, you could feel them more than hear them. We peeped out the slightly unzipped window of our tent and stayed quiet. They could have squashed us like a bug if they wanted to. After about a half hour they wandered off and we could get out.

Yosemite is the most overcrowded I've seen. Almost four decades ago I drove through during a full moon to get from the east side of the Sierras to the west side. It was an awesome place. Now, you can't drive through and all available lodging, including the campground, is booked solid all summer. The last time I camped and hiked there was probably the early 80's. I don't think I'll ever go back again but it was once the most amazing place on Earth.

The story about the guy getting killed by a remote Indian (in India) tribe is a recurring issue with ugly tourists. It's one thing to want to get off the beaten path, it's another to think the law, or respecting local traditions, doesn't apply to you. It's not a lot different than the America college student in North Korea thinking his little prank was no big deal. Doing obscene things at international religious sights is another example. As my mother used to say, "They have more dollars than sense."

The problems with our most loved-to-death U.S. national parks are nothing new. Overcrowding has been a problem for years now and solutions are constantly under discussion. If any of you park lovers out there are familiar with the "National Parks Traveler" website (https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org) you've seen some of the many articles/discussions on the topic, such as these:

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/01/arches-people-proposes-solution-arches-national-parks-congestion-woes

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/08/crowding-issues-national-parks-drawing-concern-and-brainstorming

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/07/op-ed-yosemite-so-crowded-you-cant-park-youll-still-pay-enter

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/07/acadia-national-park-officials-debating-how-deal-crowds

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/08/yellowstone-visitors-say-park-too-crowded-and-congested-not-enough-rangers

Without getting into which proposed solutions I personally think are good, bad or simply unrealistic, we've managed to do parts of some of the most crowded on the lists - Arches, Zion, the Grand Canyon South Rim, Acadia, Bryce - multiple times in relative solitude. What does that take? Timing and footwork...and therein lies some of the issue. While I understand that not everyone is physically equipped to lace up a pair of boots, I think there are more folks able to do that than are willing to. Easy accessibility is great for non-hikers but it also encourages/adds to one-viewpoint-to-the-next road/shuttle/tour bus congestion. With minimal equipment, it isn't difficult for someone in reasonably good shape to explore some really nice, less-visited corners.

Skipping the summer season and rolling out of bed at dawn has been a good crowd-avoidance strategy but again, fewer rather than more folks seem to be willing to do that, and summer is often the only time families with kids can travel.

Instead of Zion, go to Capitol Reef. Skip over Arches and explore
Canyonlands.

Using the early-in, non-summer, less-visited trail strategy, we've hiked Devil's Garden and Tower Arch at Arches almost completely alone. Also climbed up to Delicate with the mob for sunset but waited until they were gone and hiked down all alone under a full moon. Religious experience, that! :O)

Capitol Reef is great; some really excellent hiking there, and we've had a couple of trails all to ourselves. Even the easiest, more visited ones are never really overrun, Hickman Bridge excluded, maybe.

Canyonlands; my favorite! We've done 3 units (Island in the Sky, Horseshoe Canyon and Needles), 2 of them more than once, and Needles, hands down, is Top 10 hiking with killer scenery and LOTS of solitude. My #2 in the Moab area is Fisher Towers; also ranks right up there on the "Best Hikes Ever" scale.

We've (sadly) avoided Yellowstone and Yosemite so far. I don't know if there's any good way to avoid the road mess in either of them. :O(

Philip, thanks for the interesting link.

I am a diehard Yellowstone fan. I go every year, sometimes more than once. It is possible to avoid some of the crowds at the major sites although you can’t always avoid the car traffic. I do think the article’s sped up version of traffic is misleading as that is not typical unless there is a bison and bear jam. (Kathy, cross posting with you-I’m happy to help you plan Yellowstone for avoiding some but not all crowds!)

I agree Instagrammers are an issue. Last year several Canadian guys were prosecuted for damaging the bacterial mat at Grand Prismatic Spring in a stunt. This year 3 of them were killed in Canada doing something stupid on a waterfall for a “shot”.

The piece doesn’t mention the huge influx of tour buses. Often they are visitors on very cheap tours who don’t speak or read English and have not been properly educated by their guides on safety in the park. Yellowstone has hired some Interpretive Rangers who speak Mandarin to help with this and park literature is provided in a variety of languages. The park has had to place signs in the vault toilets to show to sit instead of stand on the seats to cut down on broken seats.

Now, I do not speak any other language. I can read basic signage in a few languages so I’m not holding others to a different standard but I do expect their guides to inform and educate.

I went in August this year instead of my usual June trip and was expecting crowds but didn’t find them bad. I stay in the park, get out early.

My goal was to see a specific small geyser erupt. I managed to catch “my” geyser 2 mornings at 6:30. I was all alone except for a few cars of geyser gazers creeping down the side road thru that basin looking for their favorite things!

Often they are visitors on very cheap tours who don’t speak or read
English and have not been properly educated by their guides on safety
in the park.

Agreed, Pam! I'll include using one's inside voice and not littering in that instruction.

Kathy I did notice a change this year. In addition to the huge bus tours, I noted a surprising number of 15- person vans with groups of people who perhaps had visited the US before. They were concentrating on scenic photography not selfies. They were very respectful of natural features and boundaries. They were more comfortable responding to a smile and nod from me and were clearly enjoying themselves instead of having the stressed looks on their faces the big bus tour groups often have.

It was a pleasure sharing the joy of Yellowstone with others who were enjoying the same.

By the way... I travel solo so don’t hike in Yellowstone on my own. I do go in the geyser basins alone with bear spray.

By the way... I travel solo so don’t hike in Yellowstone on my own. I
do go in the geyser basins alone with bear spray.

Good! Don't make me worry about you being bear lunch!

We've come into contact with lovely people from abroad at the parks but most of them have been traveling independently or in small groups.

It's ironic to be discussing this on a website for Rick Steves, whose suggestions for places like Grimmelwald and Cinque Terra to escape the usual overrun spots contributed to those places becoming overrun. At the risk of doing the same for my home state, I recommend a solution for the overrun national parks - visit the lesser visited ones. Texas' two national parks, Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains, are two of the least-visited national parks. They are both spectacular. The only thing they lack are charming historic lodges. Guadalupe is camping-only, doesn't have a lodge at all, and Big Bend's Chisos Mountain Lodge is a dated and somewhat threadbare 60s Modern style, and mismanaged by the current concessionaire, with Sysco nursing home-quality food served in the restaurant, and the lobby completely taken over by souvenirs for sale, so there is no inside seating. However, the camping in the park is fantastic, as is the hiking, wildlife watching, scenic drives, rafting, and historic structures. Plus you're close (by Texas standards) to Marfa and Fort Davis, two unique towns.

I have to say I am more and more reluctant to share my favorite places even here on the Forum. We have seen a huge growth in tourism in some of these places (we go yearly to one) in just 7 years. Soon we won’t enjoy it any longer.

@ Laurel and others-I suspect it's safe to share little known national parks-people from other countries and most Americans will only go to the most famous ones. I think those without lodges will only attract real outdoorspeople.

" Texas' two national parks, Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains, are two of the least-visited national parks. "

Big Bend is my favorite NP. I camped there many times in a motor home. The Cottonwood Campground was great. It was a quiet zone for birds and you could not run your generator. There are no hookups. With good water/sewer/electric management I could stay there for a week. Now that I have given up the motor home, I do not know if I will be back, especially with that evaluation of the lodge.

I've gone to Yellowstone throughout my entire life. I've seen lots of changes there. Most of them good. There are no longer bears by the side of the road begging for handouts like there were when I was a child. One thing hasn't changed. Any visitor that hikes even 1-2 miles away from the roads and parking lots suddenly finds themself away from the crowd. The majority of Yellowstone tourists tend to cling to the roadways and parking lots and rarely venture far from them. Sometimes, dealing with crowds is simply hiking just a little further from the road.

That burger restaurant was in Portland. When we moved there 31 years ago, you could waltz in for a burger any night of the week with no wait and man, was it a good burger! Very sad to see this happen. I fear the same thing is happening to some of my faves in Rome where you used to be able to go without much fanfare. 😟

Isn't it amazing that we made it to the 21st century without selfies and survived just fine? Some of my least favorite photos from my travels are those with me in them. In the US, anyone who complains about the national parks being too crowded should do some research on the state parks in the areas where they will be visiting. There are many state parks with just as amazing scenery, photo ops, and hiking opportunities as the nearby national parks. Even in Utah with the fantastic NPs there are other, less visited, SPs that will astound you. Of course you want to see the one of a kind sites but if the experience is going to be ruined for you by crowds, then look elsewhere.

"Overcrowding - not just an international problem." Indeed. There will be more schemes in attempts to manage crowds, but my advice is visit parks/sites sooner rather than later. As an example, this past summer up rolled a full-size tour bus offloading 50 passengers. This at a trailhead with little amazing scenery, just a gorgeous forest all about. My guess is this example will be repeated with many more tourists bundled in groups, putting far more pressure on all resources.

Even in Utah with the fantastic NPs there are other, less visited, SPs
that will astound you.

Kodachrome Basin, Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point, Coral Pink Sand Dunes... :O)

Some of my least favorite photos from my travels are those with me in them.

Sometimes when my wife takes the camera and tries to get a picture with me in it, I say no, I don't want to be in it. I do a travel blog, and one comment I've heard is that there are so few photos with people in them. I tell them that I prefer taking photos of scenery and buildings, and if any living creatures are in them, it will be cats.

I prefer taking photos of scenery and buildings, and if any living creatures are in them, it will be cats.

Exactly my feelings, although in addition to cats (which are the most prevalent) there will be dogs, birds, horses, cows, etc.. And often when there are people in my photos they are children doing typical children's activities - always with the permission of parents or others watching over them.

I think selfies are one of the silliest things ever.

Kodachrome Basin, Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point, Coral Pink Sand Dunes... :O)

Exactly - Kodachrome Basin was one of my favorites and Dead Horse Point has classic photo ops.

One of the best trips I took this year was a road trip in central-Northwest Arkansas. This was part of my goal of visiting all 50 states (9 to go!). We had an incredible time visiting Little Rock, Petit Jean State Park, Bentonville, Eurkea Springs, and Hot Springs National Park. It was easy to plan, and we found most of the places we visited on Tripadvisor and Atlas Obscura.

When I told friends where I vacationed, the general response was "Arkansas?!" My point here is that there's great stuff to visit everywhere that's just not the big known places or then places that the travel gurus tout. To me overcrowding simply means I'll go elsewhere or go to 'popular' places off season.

Utah: add Cedar Breaks National Monument

Exactly - Kodachrome Basin was one of my favorites and Dead Horse
Point has classic photo ops.

Nancy, we did some really nice hiking at Kodachrome, and Dead Horse is a stunner for the lens!
Kids would go nuts for Goblln; it's such a weirdly fascinating landscape!

Nice to be amongst fans of the parks. :O)

I have been researching the Utah national parks a lot over the past few months, and it's not encouraging with regard to crowds. On the Zion website, they actually have a video to prepare you for the fact that the crowds will be overwhelming. I think you have to go right at the end (or beginning) of the season at the most popular parks. This can be really tough to time, based upon climate. Also, pick your parks. My wife and I had a good visit last year at the Grand Canyon south rim in early May. It was right on the cusp of the crowds picking up and the weather being OK--the first day we actually had nontrivial amounts of snow. We had a great visit at Yellowstone in 2009, were even able to book at short notice for lodging in the park. But that was in he wake of the financial crisis. I would not go to Yellowstone in July no matter what.

vftravels, when are you looking to do the parks? In addition to the crowds, I wouldn't do Arches, Canyonlands units or even Zion in summer anyway because of the HEAT. Our trips have always been in the fall, the last being in a mid Sept. It was 90's-100 degrees in all three. Doesn't mean that every Sept. is or has been that uncomfortable but it gave me an idea how hot it could be in July!

But I love em'. With some strategy and a stout pair of shoes, most of the mob can be avoided even in the busy fall season. Zion was probably the most challenging but we had weather complications to contend with the last time too. G.C. South Rim wasn't bad if one kept some distance from the Village during peak hours. The rim trail heading west at dawn was practically deserted, and not very busy heading east either.

The North Rim is less visited and very nice in the fall, although more remote.

I agree with Maria, Petitt Jean State Park in Arkansas is amazing. And the lodge there is adorable, it’s like I imagine National Park lodges used to be before they got overrun with visitors and taken over by big national concessionaires.

Another great CCC state park lodge - Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park here in Texas. We’ve stayed three times there because we love it so much (despite the food being bad, we just ate in town, but I hear the restaurant is under new management and a lot better now)

I agree on selfies, I like taking pics of wildlife, vistas, and sites - I already know what I look like and don’t need a picture of me in a place to “prove” (brag) to social media “friends” that I’ve been there.

Kathy made a great point. In the Sierras, there are trail heads into the back country all over. You can park your car and backpack for a week or more without crossing a road. After you get more than a couple miles from the trail head, you won't see crowds. The people you do cross paths with are mostly relaxed, easy going people who are enjoying nature without the traffic and noise. Used to be your car was safe while you were gone, I hope that's still the case.

In the Sierras, there are trail heads into the back country all over.
You can park your car and backpack for a week or more without crossing
a road.

We are strictly day hikers but even so haven't had a lot of issues ditching the crowds. As far as the car being safe, we don't leave anything in it other than a styro cooler with extra water and some backup food. Maybe a jacket. Nope, I wouldn't leave it for hours with anything in it we didn't want to lose.

Dead Horse SP is in some tv commercial I keep seeing right now, and seems to have been an 'add on' in the Moab area ever since the first National Geographic photos of it got circulated. Cedar Breaks is pretty neat and a reasonable Bryce alternative if you don't have time to get too far off the interstate, but its season is short there's a fairly small amount of time every year when it makes sense to try to keep that road clear of snow.

I'll cheerfully admit to being part of the summer tourism crush problem- the Spousal Unit is on a nine month contract every year, which leaves us with a lot of free time to explore the world, provided it happens between about May 15 and August 15.

Spousal Unit

You're kidding, right? Are you married to a robot or an android?

Maybe I'm the one that's the 'bot in the relationship ;)

I've actually been thinking about this subject for a couple years now. As we've traveled more and more I've noticed the crowds getting bigger and bigger. No matter where we go in the world it's becoming that way.

Capitalism has done so much to bring so many out of poverty and into a place where such a big portion of our world's population has disposable income. Today the poorest among our developed nations are among the wealthiest percentage of humans that have ever lived and life has never been easier

Sometimes I guiltily wish it weren't quite so good but so my wife and I can enjoy our travels without encountering so many hordes of people but that's pretty selfish. overall we are living in such a great time. We are here during the best times in the history of the world.

Never has it been better for humans that it is today. I do wish people wouldn't take it for granted as we see so many Doom and gloom think pieces and articles and politicians and media trying to convince people how terrible things are when it couldn't be any further from the truth