Last February, 45 miles of Indiana sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan, less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, finally achieved a decades-long goal of becoming a national park.
At the end of our first summer as a destination that gained national and international fame, we found ourselves facing major changes and some challenges.
“The change we’re seeing is that true ‘national park people’ are putting the park on their bucket list,” he said. Advertise and on-site visitor center. “We quickly began to realize that new visitors wanted to experience the park differently and have an enriching experience.”
Before the change, the nation’s 61st national park was visited by an average of 1.8 million people a year from inside and outside the United States. However, since being designated a national park, the park’s numbers have skyrocketed, and this year overall visitor numbers are expected to increase by 60%. And it’s not alone.
Visitors admire sequoia trees in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove from a new boardwalk. The boardwalk recently opened after a three-year renovation project aimed at protecting these historic trees from the park’s large crowds.
Photo by DAVID MCNEW, AFP/Getty Images
Overtourism: A growing concern
While there are lessons to be learned from managing overtourism at major European tourist attractions, growing crowds at U.S. parks pose unique challenges. Annual recreational visitor numbers have increased 16 percent over the past decade, according to NPS records. The steady increase was felt most strongly in well-known parks, but also in parks near urban centers and those recently named national parks.
St. Louis’ Gateway Arch National Park and Indiana Dunes National Park, both of which were designated in the past two years and are easily accessible from major cities, have similarly seen a surge in tourism.
Parking is the biggest challenge for Indiana Dunes. The available space is just over 1,000, but in July alone he had 42,000 visitors and demand exceeds capacity. Toilet facilities face similar problems. And staff were forced to bring in seasonal NPS workers from elsewhere to assist visitors.
Around the same time, the Gateway Arch completed a $380 million revitalization plan that included a renovated museum and visitor center, an amphitheater, and a grassy interstate connecting the park to downtown St. Louis. It has been approved as a national park. Local business owners in the nearby historic district say that as a result of the park’s new facilities and designation, tourists contributed to half of all sales activity in the area.
Crowds may make local business owners happy, but they also lead to a less-than-pleasant experience for park users. Plus, finding ways to provide a great experience without alienating your visitors is never easy.
Seeking a solution
NPS itself is increasing its efforts to combat overtourism by collecting information from across the park system, said Jeff Harrow, Clemson University’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.
“We’re at a point in the park where we can’t just manage people lightly,” he says. “This means that systems and policies to control use, such as permissions and regulations on visitor behavior, are likely to become more commonplace.”
10. Virgin Islands National Park Virgin Islands National Park is a pristine tropical reserve that covers nearly two-thirds of St. John Island and 5,650 acres under the sea, and had 133,398 visitors in 2019.
Photography by Dennis Frates, Alamy Stock Photo
Several popular parks in the United States have announced or are considering vehicle and other reservation systems as a way to manage attendance. Due to safety concerns, California’s Yosemite National Park introduced a permit system in 2011 that limits the number of climbers allowed to summit Half Dome Mountain.
When space is low at Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park, staff will head to the parking lot to communicate with visitors and monitor spacing. About 100 spots will also be added to the park’s new visitor center, which opens this month. Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park, which saw visitor numbers increase by 48 percent from 2015 to 2018, is reconfiguring entrance stations and parking and considering further infrastructure changes to address traffic congestion. There is. At Indiana Dunes, park officials are also considering an on-demand shuttle service to transport visitors to the park from less crowded off-site parking lots.
Tourists: part of the solution
The fight against overtourism is as much in the hands of tourists as it is of parks, and there are many things park visitors can do to help. It often pays off in return. Indiana Dunes staff will hand out reusable water bottles to anyone with bags collecting trash on the trail. The Gateway Arch also rewards off-peak visitors with variable fares on the Tram to the Top Tour, which runs to the highest point of the Arch.
When planning a visit to a national park, read the NPS effort documenting congestion-related issues throughout the park system. Check the park’s webpage for the best time to visit. For example, Cuyahoga Valley offers an “Escape the Crowds” resource that explains how to get the most out of your trip. Indiana Dunes also recommends going to the beach on weekdays if you plan on parking. Less packaging.
Additionally, while local and state parks may not draw the same number of visitors, they regularly offer programs and events designed for children and families during the week. So while you may be tempted to take home iconic photos of national parks, you might also consider spending time in lesser-known parks that deserve just as much love.
Stephen Starr is an Irish journalist and author who spent 10 years reporting from the Middle East before moving to Ohio in 2018. twitter And Instagram.
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