Access to the National Parks?

by Erik Olsen on

What to do about our country’s wonderful National Parks. We ponder this question often here at gadling. On the one hand, you’ve got trends towards disinterest, with visitation number declining throughout the system. You have a major backlog of repairs and maintenance that needs to be done to keep the parks operating safely. But then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ve got OVERUSE in places like Yosemite. And now, as this article points out, there are big questions about whether to limit use to the parks to protect them.

Last November, a federal judge barred crews from finishing $60 million in construction projects in Yosemite Valley, saying that the projects would bring greater numbers of visitors, and further threatening the area’s fragile ecosystem. The government then appealed, fearing it would be forced to take action to limit park usage.

Personally, this doesn’t bother me. It would mean that you’d have to plan your trip to a park like Yosemite a bit before hand. And chances are you wouldn’t be able to go in the heart of August (which you really wouldn’t want to do anyway since that’s when the valley is at its polluted, Winnebago worst). But limiting visitors would cut down on many of the over-crowding problems the parks face, and while we can argue about our citizens’ rights to visit the parks till we’re blue in the face, there won’t be parks to visit if we ruin them.

Big Sur in Winter

by Erik Olsen on

Almost every road trip “best of” list ever made includes a drive up the foam necklaced coast to Big Sur. There’s a good reason for that. Big Sur not only offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, but is also a sweet place to find hiking, biking and just hanging out. But most people think of this as a summer drive, something you do when the sun is blazing in July. Not so. In fact, as this piece in the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Big Sur is a superb winter destination, where you can escape from the din of the city, and find cozy comfort in one of several luxurious inns.

Big Sur is roughly 30 miles south of Carmel and about three hours north of Los Angeles (depending on how often you stop at In-N-Out or for tacos). The writer here suggests a trip up and a hike to mist-laden Pfeiffer Falls, which you can reach just a half-mile or so from the road. The benefit of winter is that the rainy season (such as it is) swells up the streams and rivers and makes the falls a gushing photographer’s dream.

A few of the places recommended here for accommodations are the Big Sur Lodge and the Post Ranch Inn, neither of which do I personally know, but am ready and willing at any time to give them a try.

Stuck for a few days in smoggy LA with no place to go? Well now you have one.

Is Anyone Visiting America’s National Parks?

by Neil Woodburn on

There is perhaps nowhere in the world that has both the quantity and quality of National Parks as those which grace the backcountry of America.

That is why I found it so depressing to recently learn that attendance in these National Parks is dropping at alarming rates.

According to an article by Julie Cart in The Los Angeles Times, America’s National Parks have seen a 20% decrease in overnight visitors in the last ten years and a 24% decrease in those camping in the backcountry. Even Yosemite, the most famous of the National Parks has seen a 9% decrease.

This is simply horrendous!

The amazing natural resources in our own backyards should not be neglected and ignored. They cost very little to visit and offer a wealth of beauty, respite, and solace in return.

So why the decrease?

If you ask me, I could go on a long diatribe about modern laziness, expectation of immediate gratification, pre-packaged Disney adventures, a dying sense of adventure, and an obsession with safety.

The National Park Service has a few ideas of their own. A basic premise is that family vacationers are still seeking out “soft” adventure but would rather retire to a nice hotel afterwards and are therefore vacationing elsewhere.

Another theory, based upon a recent Nature Conservancy study, hardly comes as a surprise to me. Apparently there is a “correlation between the drop in national park visits and the increasing popularity of at-home entertainment, including video games and the Internet.”

One surprising answer uncovered in the article is the lack of appeal the parks have in the minority community. Come to think of it, I almost never see minorities when visiting National Parks–just campervans full of toe-headed kids and their lily-white parents. I’m not sure why, but the National Park demographic is something right out of the O.C.

So, it seems that a variety of factors are affecting attendance and none of them are good. I suppose, however, that if there is a silver lining, it is the fact that the parks will be less crowded in the future and therefore more enjoyable.

Wend Magazine

by Erik Olsen on

Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of outdoors/travel/adventure mags comes and go. At one point, when I was living in Seattle, two different friends tried to start outdoors magazines…and each failed. That said, it’s great to see new magazines try their hand at the genre, because there are a million great stories waiting to be told and a select few glossies (while strong) have long dominated the outdoor mag landscape. The fact is, when these new magazines are good, it behooves us to support them, because good writing/photography/adventure is hard to find.

And so let me now introduce you to a killer new magazine out of Portland, Oregon called Wend. I am reminded a bit of that salsa commercial when the true salsacionoados (inevitably dressed as cowboys) hear that the salsa they are about to be served comes from (add dripping disdain here) New York CITY?!. No, as we all know, the best salsa comes from the Southwest. Similarly, one can surmise that some of the best outdoors writing/shooting should come from the West, or the Northwest, in this case.

Wend is a wonderful new magazine that is now into its second issue. While the Web site is a bit sparse at the moment, the issue I have is filled with great stories and sumptuous photographs. A few of the stories available include Powder Lines in Pakistan, about two men who survive the first descent on skis on Pakistan’s Mt. Laila. And a story on Surfing Africa’s Zambezi River. Great stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree. We’ll be checking back with them in the future, so keep an eye out.

All-In-One Wrist Gadget

by Neil Woodburn on

Convergence is the hot buzzword these days. Just check out the new iPhone and how it so perfectly combines a phone, PDA, MP3 player, and so many other goodies.

Convergence is your friend in the travel world as well. It means less gear to trek around with. Take for example, the Suunto X9i. It looks like a watch, but the Suunto webpage only refers to it as a wristop computer or a tool.

It does indeed tell time, but it also has an altimeter, barometer, compass, and a GPS system. That’s five functions in one! In addition, it was some pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve as well. After returning from a hiking trip, for example, you can download your “tracks” into a Google Earth program and it will automatically plot your journey using satellite imagery so all you friends can check out where you’ve been.

Price $500