US EditionOperational Challenges Loom for National Parks, Despite Last Year's Record Visitation
- The National Park Service recorded a historic 331.9 million visits in 2024, with Golden Gate National Recreation Area leading at 17.18 million visitors.
- The surge resulted partly from post-pandemic outdoor trends and a nearly 2% rise from 2023, despite Blue Ridge Parkway visits dropping due to hurricane closures.
- Multiple parks, including Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion, and Grand Canyon, showed significant visitation, contributing to economic gains in local communities like Arkansas and Acadia.
- Operational pressures increased as the Department of Governmental Efficiency cut 1,000 probationary workers and suspended seasonal hiring, leading parks like Yosemite and Mount Rainier to adopt reservation systems to manage crowds.
- These challenges have caused overcrowding, maintenance delays, and safety concerns, raising uncertainty about the sustainability of visitor levels amid budget and staffing constraints.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Daily Journal
Operational Challenges Loom for National Parks, Despite Last Year's Record Visitation
2024 was a record-breaking year for the National Park Service (NPS), with about 331.9 million recreational visits, a nearly 2% increase from the previous year and surpassing the previous all-time high in 2016.
Massive Memorial Day weekend crowds expected to slam Zion National Park
SPRINGDALE, Utah—The warm weather is finally upon us, and with it comes the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family.As summer and Memorial Day approach, the National Park Service is warning visitors to plan for massive crowds if you're visiting one of the hundreds of the nation's national parks.For example, according to the NPS, nearly 5 million people visited Zion National Park in 2024 – over 92,000 of those during Memor…
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