My career with the National Park Service started in 1976 with a gig as a seasonal backcountry ranger at Yosemite National Park, one of the busiest parks in the country. That year, we welcomed around 2.7 million visitors. As I look back, it’s clear we didn’t know what “busy” meant. By 2019, the number of visitors had grown by more than 60%, to a record 4.4 million.
Many of the people who visited during the reservation period — myself included — said it was their most enjoyable park visit in years. That tells you something about the issues crowding had created before the pandemic hit.At more than 750,000 acres, Yosemite is the third-largest park in California, behind Death Valley and Joshua Tree.
Other parks have enacted approaches like Yosemite’s temporary one. A similar system is permanently in place at Muir Woods in Northern California, and admission to Alcatraz has always been dependent on getting a ticket for the boat ride to the island. Rocky Mountain National Park successfully tested a reservation system this summer, while Acadia and Glacier national parks required bookings for their most overcrowded spots.
Reservation systems rushed into place to respond to a public health emergency will naturally need refinement. For instance, Yosemite reservations had to be made through an English-only website, creating hurdles for many potential visitors. Park managers know that national parks should be for everyone, and they did an excellent job given the circumstances. Now is the chance to smooth out some of the initial problems.
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