Why Are Young Adults Shunning The National Parks?

by Kraig Becker on

For decades America’s national parks have been popular destinations for travelers of all ages and attendance numbers have been at near record highs even in recent years. But the National Park Service has begun to see a disturbing shift in the demographic of its visitors over the past decade or so, as young adults appear to have fled the parks en masse.

According to a recent story from MSNBC, the average age of visitors to the national parks has risen steadily since 1996. Part of that increase is due to a continued interested in the parks by aging baby boomers, but the twenty-something crowd, who were once a mainstay in the parks, seem to have nearly disappeared. According to the story, young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 now make up just 11 percent of the visitors to Yosemite and a stunning six percent at Yellowstone.

Exactly why young people are no longer visiting the national parks is a bit of a mystery, but if the trend continues it could be a major problem for the Park Service down the line. Finding funding for the parks in these challenging economic times is already a tough task, but if attendance falls dramatically in the future it could prove to be herculean.In an attempt to reverse the trend, the National Parks Conservation Association has launched an initiative to connect people with the parks. The goal is to deliver a personal connection with these iconic landscapes and inspire more people to visit. This ambitious project hopes to not only get young people into the parks, but diverse ethnic groups as well. Only time will tell if the plan will be successful.

As a big fan of the national parks, these statistics are very disheartening. The parks represent some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet and it is a shame that more young people aren’t showing an interest in experiencing them. Additionally, the parks are great places to hike, camp, climb or do just about anything else outdoors. My fear is that as many young adults turn away from those activities they are also turning away from the parks themselves. Hopefully this trend won’t continue into the future and America’s wild places will continue to receive the support they deserve.


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National Parks Are Fee-Free June 9 To Celebrate Get Outdoors Day

by Kraig Becker on

America’s national parks will once again waive all entry fees next Saturday, June 9, in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day. Visitors to any one of the more than 397 national parks, memorials and monuments across the U.S. will be granted free entrance all day long.

National Get Outdoors Day was created five years ago as an effort to encourage more Americans to go outside and enjoy nature. The event has become a collaboration between federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry who all work together to promote a variety of outdoor experiences. While these efforts are aimed at the U.S. population as a whole, the focus is on getting first time visitors to take advantage of public lands, as well as reconnecting young people to the outdoors.

In addition to fee-free entry to the national parks, there are 122 official National Get Outdoors Day locations spread out across the U.S. Each of these locations will play host to a number of scheduled events throughout the day and they offer further opportunities to celebrate the occasion. For instance, those living near Highlands Ranch, Colorado, can join the First Annual Backcountry Community Campout, while residents of New Jersey may want to visit Field Station: Dinosaurs to get in on the fun.

Even if you aren’t able to visit a national park or take advantage of one of these events, remind yourself to get outside on June 9. Summer is here and it’s the weekend, so there are no excuses for not participating.

This is the last fee-free day at the national parks until September 29, so take advantage of it while you can. For a complete list of the parks that will waive the entry fee on June 9 click here.

Should Hunting Be Allowed In America’s National Parks?

by Kraig Becker on

Should hunting be allowed inside America’s national parks? That’s the question that the U.S. Senate will soon be dealing with as they debate the merits of HR 4089, better known as the Sportsman’s Heritage Act. The controversial bill was passed by the House of Representatives in April and could be coming to the floor of the Senate as well. If it does manage to become a law, HR 4089 would open most of the National Park System to hunting, trapping and recreational shooting.

Since their inception, the national parks have been designed to protect America’s heritage and natural landscapes, and those protections have always extended to the wildlife that roamed those regions as well. In the past it has taken – quite literally – an act of Congress to allow hunting within a park’s boundaries, but with this new bill hunting, trapping and sport shooting could become commonplace.

In addition to the traditional national parks that we all know and love, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite, the park system is made up of a number of other entities as well. These include national monuments, memorials, military and historic parks and more. All of them could potentially fall under the jurisdiction of this new law, allowing hunting in such places as Gettysburg or Valley Forge for example.The Sportsman’s Heritage Act does have specific language written into it that provides for exemptions to the law in parks and monuments specifically. But those exemptions need to be decided on an individual basis, which can be a time consuming and costly affair. Furthermore, the wording of the bill fails to mention the other park units such as memorials, historic parks and the other places mentioned above. In other words, it would encompass each of those places unless they are specifically singled out for exemption.

The National Parks Conservation Association has worked in conjunction with the law firm of Arnold & Porter, LLP to examine the legal ramifications of the bill, and they’ve found that it could be quite costly as well. HR 4089’s approach to opening the park system up for hunting, trapping and sport shooting means that each of the units will have to do their own individual study to determine if they should allow those activities or not. Considering there are 397 units within the system, that could mean a lot of money spent on conducting that research.

The NPCA is also quick to point out that the bill would allow for the use of off-road vehicles wherever they are needed by hunters and trappers to engage in those activities. Most of the parks don’t currently allow the use of 4×4’s off of pavement, but this would open it up for their use in many other places. Considering the damage that they can do to the environment, their use seems to run counter to the idea of actually protecting these wild spaces.

As a traveler, i personally enjoy exploring the national parks because they are beautiful, serene environments. I can’t imagine visiting Rocky Mountain National Park for example, spending hours scrambling to the top of the famous Longs Peak, only to be greeted by gunshots from elk hunters. Or as a parent, can you imagine having to explain to a young park visitor why the vehicle sitting next to yours has a deer strapped across its hood? The parks are places of refuge and in my opinion they should stay that way. There are plenty of other places in the U.S. to hunt and trap, but we should keep those activities out of the parks themselves. If you agree, click here to express your concerns to your local congressman.

New Half Dome Permit System In Place For Yosemite

by Kraig Becker on

This past Friday, just in time for the busy Memorial Day Weekend, the climbing cables were put in place on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, opening the door for hikers and backpackers to hit the iconic trail. The 16-mile round-trip trek includes a challenging scramble up the side of Yosemite’s famous rock formation and eventually winds its way to the summit, some 8800 feet above sea level. When they reach the top, hikers are rewarded with an unbelievable view of Yosemite Valley, which is a large part of the trail’s appeal.

In the past, the Half Dome trail has gotten very crowded and traffic jams have occurred on the climbing cables where slower hikers have been known to cause delays. In 2010, in an effort to prevent those issues, the National Park Service instituted a permit system for anyone wanting to hike the trail. That permit system has been further refined this year and visitors hoping to make the hike should be aware of the changes before they arrive.

This season the number of people on the trail is limited to just 400 per day – 300 of those being day hikers and the other 100 are backpackers intending to stay for a longer period of time. Applications are accepted at Recreation.gov and up to six permits can be requested on a single application. Furthermore, applicants can list up to seven dates that they would like to hike the trail and they’ll be eligible to receive their permits on one of those dates based on availability. Additionally, 50 permits will be made available through a daily lottery. In order to be eligible for those permits, hikers must apply online two days before their intended arrival in Yosemite. Permits cost $5 each and more details on the system can be found by clicking here.

Prior to instituting the permit system, the Half Dome trail would average more than 400 hikers per day during the week and twice that on the weekend. The system has made it more difficult for visitors to simply show up and hike the trail, but it has also made it safer all around. Additionally, by limiting the number of people on the trail on a daily basis, the environment is better protected. So far, the permit system has been a success and it appears that it will be come a permanent solution starting next year.

Travel Channel, National Parks Join For Summer Promo

by Chris Owen on

Summer can mean a trip to one of America’s national parks for many. These adventure-packed and history-rich destinations offer travelers a wide variety of vacation options at hundreds of locations. To promote America’s national parks and help with planning a summer park vacation, the Travel Channel has joined with the National Park Foundation (NPF) in a summer-long partnership of initiatives.

“Through this summer partnership, the National Park Foundation and Travel Channel, will provide the Network’s passionate viewers with the best tools and information to plan the perfect national park adventures,” said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks.

Inspiring viewers to visit our 397 national parks as well as encourage volunteerism and monetary donations to NPF, the Travel Channel will support the NPF partnership via the network’s “Destination Summer” campaign.

Thirty hours of programming on America’s national parks will include celebrating “Get Outdoors Day” on Saturday, June 9.”Travel and tourism are big drivers of the U.S. economy, and this is one important way Travel Channel can make a very positive impact,” said Laureen Ong, president of Travel Channel. “We know our viewers are ready to lean in and experience life, and this partnership with the National Park Foundation will touch consumers on a very personal level, encouraging them to explore and appreciate the best destinations America has to offer.”

Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks, 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems and historic sites.

Flickr photo by jurvetson