National Park Entry Reservations: The New Normal?

Above, an entrance into Yosemite National Park. Will they start
 asking if we have reservations to enter? Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The following is a great reason why I actually prefer the off-season for travel. There's less crowds and the weather is milder (well, depending upon where it is).

Now, the the "the powers that be" are "experimenting" with a program to allow national park visitors entry only if they have a reservation. 

RV Traveler posted an article on this and asks, "Will this be the new normal?"

They wrote:

Come May 28, you’ll no longer be able to motor up to Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park and get in at any old time. From that day forward, you’ll need to have made reservations to visit the park. Park officials are describing it as a “pilot program,” meaning, this won’t be forever. Theoretically. But it does raise the question: Are reservations just to get into one of the national treasures the wave of the future?

What’s happening?

What’s behind this extra layer of travel planning? Park staff say they’re afraid the 2021 tourist season will see big crowds. If campground and RV park reservations around the U.S. are any indicator, it’s pretty likely more and more folks will head to the nation’s parks.

But there are other factors creating the “don’t just drop in” policy. COVID-19 is still a concern, and limiting the number of visitors in the park at any one time decreases viral transmission. And other factors are having an impact: Staff shortages, limitations on shuttle bus capacity, and impacts from last year’s wildfires. All these weighed in the decision to force these national park entry reservations, says a park news release.

Now that a "certain political party" inhabited by control freaks runs the government, you can bet that this "pilot program" will probably be the wave of the future. Unless, of course, we raise holy hell!

To read more, go here. 

National Parks In Autumn

Above, Grand Teton National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With kids back in school, the summer crowds at our national parks are gone. Fall is a good time to visit national parks as the weather has cooled down to more comfortable temperatures.

WinnebaGo Life has an article on visiting several national parks during the fall months.

It begins with:

In recent years, our National Parks have been smashing attendance records. Last year, nearly matched the National Park System’s record-breaking centennial in 2016. As wonderful as it is that more people are enjoying the treasure that is our National Park System, this does have a little bit of a downside, especially if you’re looking for a serene escape into nature at one of the more popular parks. 

To alleviate the strain on some of our parks, shuttle systems have been instituted. Some shuttles, like the one in Zion National Park, are mandatory for most of the year, sometimes resulting in an experience that’s a little more theme park in feel. (You can only drive your car through Zion from November to March, now.) 

But, as summer winds down and fall begins, a more serene experience opens up once again at some of the busiest National Parks. If you have the flexibility, try visiting Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks in the fall. The crowds die down, along with the mosquitoes (in the case of Yellowstone and Grand Teton), making them just perfect to visit in the fall.

To read more, go here.

National Parks To Get $50 Million For Maintenance and Infrastructure

Above, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Lower Yellowstone Falls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The national parks will be getting more than $50 million for maintenance and infrastructure funds.

Fox21 News reported:

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK — More than $50 million will be distributed to high priority maintenance and infrastructure projects at 42 parks in 29 states, including Colorado. 

While visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Colorado Senator Cory Gardner announced Saturday Rocky Mountain National Park will receive $200,000 in federal funds matched by $200,000 from the Rocky Mountain Conservancy to reduce deferred maintenance on the Alluvial Fan Trail. 

It’s all thanks to Congress, who provided $20 million for the projects as part of the Centennial Challenge program, which will be matched by $33 million from more than 50 park partners to improve trails, restore buildings and increase visitor access to parks.

One such project the funding will go towards is improvements of the overlooks of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

To read more, go here.