Should There Be Free Wi-Fi In Our National Parks?

Above, the only really useful Wi-Fi in Yosemite I found was in the former Ahwahnee Hotel. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Should national parks provide free Wi-Fi access?

Some already do, but they are generally at visitor centers, lodges and other facilities. Last year, I was in Yosemite National Park. I found that cell service was minimal to non-existent at best. Although several places advertised Wi-Fi service, the only usable one I found in Yosemite was at the Ahwahnee Hotel (now called the Majestic Yosemite Hotel).

During my recent trip, I stopped in Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks. I didn't bother with Wi-Fi and my phone was useless in both parks.

RV Life tackles the question in an article with pros and cons.

They begin with:

“If a camper visits a national park and doesn’t actually post about it on Facebook, did it really happen?” 

When the National Park Service was established in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson wasn’t looking for ways to provide high-speed internet.  Visitors didn’t need to check their Facebook or upload selfies from the Grand Canyon to their Instagram. 

Rather the NPS was created to preserve our nation’s most beautiful landscapes.  Our now-58 National Parks provide a way to explore vast wilderness and completely immerse ourselves in nature.  After all, what’s the point of being outdoors if you still constantly have to stay connected? 

However times are a lot different than back in 1916.  The internet has not only been invented but it has become a necessity for many fulltimers on the road. 

It’s now the easiest accessible resource for information.  Maps and directions are at our fingertips and can be effortlessly pulled up on something as small as a smartphone. Restaurants and attractions can not only be located but we can read reviews and determine if stopping in is truly worth the time and money.

It would be nice to have some reliable cell phone service in our parks (for safety and emergency reasons). I think we can do without Wi-Fi for a few days, can't we?

To read more, go here.