No. 1 Cause Of Death In National Parks?

Above, motorhomes driving through Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fatalities in our national parks make news, especially if caused by wildlife, falls and drownings. But, interestingly, the top cause of fatalities among national park visitors is by vehicular accidents.

According to National Parks Traveler:

The greatest risk to your life in a national park is not a grizzly bear, not a rattlesnake, and not having a heart attack. No, the greatest risk to your life is being in a vehicle heading down the road, according to the National Park Service.

Mortality data collected from the National Park System from 2014 through 2019 turned up 2,149 deaths overall, with 370 deaths related to driving. Drowning was responsible for 314 deaths during that time period, while hiking contributed 255 deaths, with falls accounting for 206 deaths, the Park Service says. There also were 381 suicides in the parks during those years, and 25 murders.

The covered years provide the most recently available data, as the Park Service notes it can take some time to validate the reports that come in from across the National Park System. 

To read more, go here. 

Grand Teton National Park Saw Record Visitation In October

Above, the Grand Teton mountain range. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Like Yellowstone National Park, its next-door-neighbor to the north, Grand Teton National Park saw record attendance for the month of October.

National Park Traveler reported:

The rush to get outdoors this year has impacted many areas of the National Park System, and at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming that rush in October nearly doubled visitation for October 2019.

This October saw an estimated 351,173 recreation visits, an 88 percent increase compared to October 2019.

Here are the numbers: 

2020—351,173

2019—186,487

To read more, go here. 

National Parks Remain Open During Epidemic

Above, cloud-shrouded Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While we may not be able to fly to Europe and other places due to the pandemic, our national parks remain open for business. So if one needs to get away from it all, just jump in the car or RV and head to a national park.

According to National Parks Traveler:

National parks and their facilities remain open during the coronavirus epidemic in the United States while National Park Service officials await further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agency staff said Thursday. 

"To help guide the National Park Service operational response to the novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19), the NPS Office of Public Health and the U.S. Public Health Service officers assigned to the NPS are closely monitoring the situation and keeping staff informed," Park Service acting chief spokesperson Stephanie Roulett told the Traveler in an email. "They are relying on the most updated data and information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM), state and local public health authorities, and coordinating with the DOI Office of Emergency Management.

To read more, go here.

Crowds Expected At Zion National Park This Weekend

Above, the Great White Throne at Zion National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It's a good thing that I am staying close to home this Labor Day weekend. If I do anything, I'll be going to the Bi-County Fair in nearby Prewitt, New Mexico.

Zion National Park would be the last place I would go to these days on Labor Day weekend. We went there in 2003 on Labor Day weekend and stayed at a motel in Springdale, Utah. Even then, the crowds were beginning to grow, but nowhere near the levels of today.

National Park Traveler posted a press release on Zion, which reads in part:

Zion National Park in Utah has grown notorious for crowds, so you shouldn't be surprised that park staff are expecting a very busy Labor Day Weekend. 

Visitors to Zion should expect some queues and congestion within the park. Those with flexible plans are encouraged to visit before Friday or after Monday to avoid crowds. 

Both campgrounds in Zion Canyon are on a reservation system and are already fully reserved for the weekend. Campground and lodging options are available in the gateway communities surrounding the park. Zion Canyon Visitor Center and other parking areas in the park fill by 9 a.m. Additional parking is provided in the gateway community of Springdale. 

Zion Canyon shuttle runs from 6 a.m. through 9:15 p.m. The shuttle leaves the Visitor Center every 4 minutes with a capacity of 68 visitors. Wait times are expected to be between 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. 

Several Zion Canyon trails and the Weeping Rock area (Shuttle Stop 7) remain closed due to rockslides. Upper and Middle Emerald Pools, Hidden Canyon, Weeping Rock, and East Rim/Observation Point via Weeping Rock shuttle stop are all closed. The trail connector between Kayenta Trail and Lower Emerald Pools is partially opened, only accessible via The Grotto area (Shuttle Stop 6).

To read more, go here. 

Cattle Drive In Grand Teton National Park Saturday

Above, the Grand Tetons. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is a good thing that we're going into Grand Teton National Park today instead of Saturday.

According to the National Park Traveler:

A cattle drive set to take place early Saturday morning in Grand Teton National Park will require the temporary closure of U.S. Highway 26/89/191 between Moran Junction and Elk Ranch Flats. 

Motorists should expect a travel delay between approximately 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. as cattle are herded from their summer pasture at Elk Ranch Flats to their pastures east of Moran. Park rangers will provide traffic control on the highway during this cattle drive.  

Ranch wranglers will drive a herd of approximately 300 cattle eastward from the Elk Ranch Flats summer pasture to the private ranch using a right-of-way along U.S. Highway 26/287. As the cattle are herded towards Moran Junction, the animals must cross the Buffalo Fork Bridge on the highway.

To read more, go here. 

Zion's Shuttle Fleet Needs Replacing

Above, The Watchman and one of the shuttles at right. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To ease congestion in Zion National Park, the park has a fleet of shuttle buses to take visitors to all of the park's attractions.

But, those buses are aging and need replacement.

According to National Park Traveler:

After 19 years driving up and down Zion Canyon, it should be a surprise that the shuttle bus fleet at Zion National Park is beyond its expected life. What also shouldn't be surprising is that replacement parts for the fleet are getting harder to find, and funding to replace the buses is also hard to come by. 

"At some point things need to get replaced, so we’re working on that, but it’s a big price tag," Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said. "We’re trying to get funding through various grant sources and things like that.” 

The fleet of 39 buses has provided a great service the past two decades for the park and its visitors, navigating the tight and narrow two-lane road that runs up Zion Canyon to the final stop at the Temple of Sinawava, where the Virgin River flows out of a slot canyon. It's taken countless private vehicles off the road, shuttled hikers through the canyon, and allowed visitors to sit back and relax while gazing at the towering sandstone cliffs.

To read more, go here. 

Early Notable Figures In Yosemite's History

Above, an early morning view of Yosemite Valley. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the most popular national parks is Yosemite National Park. It wouldn't have become a national park nor would it be as popular today as it is if it weren't for notable people.

National Park Traveler takes a look at early notable figures in Yosemite's history.

They begin with:

There is an argument that Yosemite is actually the world’s first national park; President Lincoln’s Yosemite Grant in 1864 protected its scenic valley. Of course, it wasn’t until 1890 that Yosemite was officially designated a national park, some 18 years after Yellowstone claimed the distinction as the world’s first national park. 

But with its head start, Yosemite quickly attracted those who were looking to both profit from the setting, and protecting it. 

James and Elvira Hutchings opened the valley’s first hotel in 1865, after James visited the Yosemite Valley in 1855, and again in 1859. He described his first lodging there as a “crude two-story” inn. So, he bought the building the next year, made some relatively minor upgrades, and opened it for business. 

It didn’t last long for the Hutchings however, as the Yosemite Grant prompted California officials to declare his land ownership in the valley invalid, and they were forced out. 

To read more, go here.