Why National Park Gateway Towns Are Struggling

Above, the gateway town of West Yellowstone, Montana. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

These are strange times.

One would think that national park gateway towns are going gangbusters with tourist travel dollars flowing in. Well, yes and no.

According to an article in RV Travel, national park gateway towns are struggling.

They begin with:

For decades, gateway towns near America’s national parks thrived. Travelers came to see the parks, and the towns provided everything else. Fuel. Groceries. Campgrounds. Restaurants. Laundry. RV repair shops. Ice cream. Souvenirs. Showers. Propane. You name it, they probably had it.

But this summer, many of those small towns are feeling squeezed, and RVers, if you haven’t already, you may start noticing the effects.

From Yellowstone to Zion to Glacier to the Smokies, gateway communities are dealing with a difficult mix of rising tourism pressure, staffing shortages, higher costs, housing problems, and aging infrastructure. In some places, local officials say they’re struggling just to keep up with the number of visitors arriving every day.

And for RVers, that can mean longer waits, fewer services, crowded roads, and significantly higher prices.

To read more, go here.