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Really Getting Away From It All: The Loneliest National Parks

Apr 4th - 14:36pm | y_p_w

Yeah - how does one count recreational visitation?  I took a look at Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park once.  I just went to the little display (the Rosie Memorial) in a city park in Richmond, California.  Most of the people there were simply sitting on the lawn and didn't seem all that interested in the display.

Apr 4th - 14:30pm | y_p_w

Bob Janiskee writes:

Apr 4th - 12:38pm | Me

Many ages ago I got mad at my parents and refused to get out of the car. They told me we were going to a National Park,  we went to some old house instead...

Apr 4th - 12:10pm | Anonymous

Thaddeus Kosciuszko and Thomas Stone, being American Revolution figures, may become more popular in 15 years when the 250th anniversary arrives. The Stone unit, IIRC, was conceived as part of a plan (wisely abandoned, IMO), to honor all signers of the Declaration of Independence with individual sites.

Apr 4th - 09:41am | Ranger Bri

There are so many things that affect visitation at our parks from year to year such as weather patterns, economy, special events, services & reconstruction.

Apr 4th - 06:02am | MRC

I don't mind the numbers for Aniakchak National Monument and the other Alaskan site. Those units are under the NPS cover mainly for protection, not for education or entertainment. Looking at some of the historical units with low to non existing visitation, I am temped to see things differently.

Apr 3rd - 22:39pm | Steve Nelson

Is there an advertising budget for the NPS?  Would there be a political uproar if one existed? 

Apr 3rd - 19:03pm | imtnbke

I occasionally mountain bike alongside the Eugene O'Neill Nat'l Historic Site, because it's on a forced detour route adjacent to the eastern border of Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in Danville, Calif.

Apr 3rd - 11:57am | Bob Janiskee

Sorry about the ambiguity, Bruce, but I'm afraid it comes with the territory. I've used  "corrective action" here in the conventional sense of the term. That is, a corrective action is  an action that eliminates the cause of a problem.

Apr 3rd - 11:54am | Rick B.

I think there can be a certain amount of "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it" in some of this. The number of people who can or chose to visit someplace has no bearing necessarily on the inherent value of preserving that place.

Apr 3rd - 11:08am | Lee Dalton

Excellent comment AnonymousD. I think I remember questions like that being asked many times when some areas were proposed for establishment.  American Samoa is one of those.  It was alleged that establishment of that unit was purely an attempt to boost tourism to an impoverished place that probably shouldn't even be part of the United States in any way.

Apr 3rd - 11:03am | rdm24

In an earlier post this week, you asked for "cultural parks that don't get enough love" (/2011/03/summer-special-ten-cultural-historical-parks-dont-get-enough-love7689) and the Olmstead site was the first that came to my mind!

Apr 3rd - 10:34am | AnonymousD

Good comments, Bruce.

Apr 3rd - 10:21am | Bruce

A serious comment, after pondering these of yours, Bob:

Apr 3rd - 10:02am | Bruce

Now, let's see why [color=#0000ff]Aniakchak National Monument & Aniakchak National Preserve[/color] was the next loneliest spot on the NPS map.

Apr 3rd - 09:55am | Bruce

Hamilton Grange National Memorial was really lonely with 0 visitors!  Turns out it was closed for relocation in 2010 . . .

The World's Top Ten National Parks

Apr 4th - 14:31pm | M. Hamed

Dinder National Park,  park, eastern Sudan. The park lies in the clayish flood plain of the Nahr (river) ad-Dindar and Nahr ar-Rahad, at an elevation of 2,300 to 2,600 ft (700 to 800 m). Established in 1935, it covers an area of 2,750

Summer Special: Windshield Touring in the Western Parks

Apr 4th - 13:38pm | Bob

Apr 4th - 12:54pm | Bob

Thanks for including the stop-and-walk options.  I'm always amazed how long people will sit in a car to *get* to the park, but then they're all rushed to "see everything" in an hour or two when they get there.

Civil War-Related National Parks Schedule Commemorative Events for Civil War 150th Anniversary

Apr 4th - 13:23pm | Anonymous

NPS.gov/CivilWar is no longer online. It has been replaced by NPS.gov/cw150.

Gettysburg National Military Park Moving Into Blogging To Commemorate Civil War

Apr 4th - 12:40pm | Anonymous

The Eppley Institute, in partnership with the National Park Service, just released a free e-course on the causes of the Civil War.   You can find it here: http://eppley.org/elearning/interpretation-1/civil-war

Legislation Introduced To Add 7,200 Acres To Petersburg National Battlefield

Apr 4th - 12:13pm | Anonymous

What specific battlefields might be added to the park if this were enacted?

Congress Slashes $101 Million From National Park Service Budget. More To Come?

Apr 4th - 12:05pm | Reality Check

I would GLADLY (if it were my decision) put the $101 million back in the NPS budget if just this one tax payer funded gift be returned.  The $2 BILLION gift to government & corporate unions to pay for early retiree's healthcare in exchange for supporting Obamacare.  There is so much out there that just stinks and it's getting on NPS.

Four Ranger-Guided Backcountry Hikes Reveal More Of The Wonders At Mesa Verde National Park

Apr 4th - 10:40am | urbanmountainman

THANK YOU for posting!!! We're in Mesa Verde June 16th, talking to the wifey now about it

Apr 3rd - 11:17am | Lee Dalton

I certainly have some mixed feelings about charging visitors to participate in interpretive programs, but guess it's something that we'll see more and more of as funding is cut.

Apr 3rd - 09:58am | MT Troy

What a great opportunity for people to see some of the more restricted cliff dwellings up close if they are able and willing to make the hike. This seems like a great opportunity to take in the views of the landscape and experience parts of the canyon that most people only get to observe from the mesas. In addition, being able to talk with a ranger and get insight from a person that spends a lo

April Fool's Story On Cape Hatteras Not Funny To All Readers

Apr 3rd - 20:30pm | Not the First N...

This is not the first time that an April Fool involving a National Park resource resulted in a backfire.  As described in Wikipedia:

Apr 3rd - 17:19pm | Crotalus

Or a Poe?

Apr 3rd - 13:06pm | justinh

Crotalus, I think Like-more-satire's posts were intended to be satirical.

Apr 3rd - 12:25pm | robschonk

Kim is right.  Hatteras Island folks are a caring, close knit group.  The Wounded Warriors program is just an example.  I've volunteered any spare bedrooms in my cottage and my (questionable) experience as a fishing guide and my SUV (if they are still allowed on the beach) to any Wounded Warrior who wants to take advantage of the program.

Apr 3rd - 12:01pm | Kim

http://www.islandfreepress.org/2011Archives/03.29.2011-CapeHatterasWoundedWarriorsVacationProjectGetsUnderway.html

Apr 3rd - 11:16am | Crotalus

James, Again, it doesn't matter what you want to call it. Laws and mandates prevent the NPS from allowing the free-for-all that has been the case for the past ~30 years. They must protect the resource - which includes the biotic and abiotic - for future generations.

Apr 2nd - 21:34pm | Like more satire

With Superintendents being so connected to these groups with their retirement plans and philosophy you think they might be contributing to the litigation against their own benefactors?

Apr 2nd - 20:34pm | Like more satire

Questions:  Where do these groups get their funding and is it their business model to profit from these lawsuits?  Who pays the attorneys?  Shouldn't Congress be making some of these decisions instead of unelected agenda driven entities that have grown so prevalent in the last few decades.  What direction are they headed and what are their ideal outcomes.

Apr 2nd - 19:56pm | James Hilliard

Humm! It would be great if the government did follow the mandates and laws especially the NPS. They have failed to recognize that that the CHNSRA IS A RECREATIONAL AREA!!! Have you ever been to the CHNSRA?

Apr 2nd - 19:00pm | Me

02-02-1972 Executive Order 11644 President Richard Nixon signs order requiring (ORV) management plan for National Park 1977 President Jimmy Carter signs Executive Order #11989 Amends and broadens Executive Order 11644 requiring National Park Service to manage ORV use within the National Parks. 1977 Cape Hatteras National Seashore presents its ORV Management Draft Plan.

Apr 2nd - 17:33pm | Crotalus

James, It wouldn't really matter if it was Disneyland. The government has got to follow the mandates and laws prescribed for government property in the system.

Apr 2nd - 16:27pm | James Hilliard

For all those who do not know and understasnd the history of the CHNSRA here it is. This seashore is a recreational area is not a refuge or sanctuary. This is why people are fighting mad over the closers including myself. This seashore is the PEOPLES SEASHORE.    June 23, 1936 Passage of the Park, Parkway and Recreational Area Study Act

Apr 2nd - 12:14pm | Rick B.

Kurt... I missed yesterday's story and am sorry to see you have to wade through this kefluffle today. Mort Sahl, National Lampoon, Mel Brooks, Lenny Bruce, and more all leave a fine tradition of sinking to low standards nobly. You have a year to prepare for next year's April Fool's story and hopefully it will be a more satisfying experience for you.

Apr 2nd - 11:29am | Nat Parker

Unfortunately the 'joke' deflects attention from what in my mind is the real issue. NPS Management is non-existent.

Apr 2nd - 11:24am | Crotalus

Dewey, Could you list the businesses which have closed along with the evidence the business went under as a direct or even indirect result of the closures and not just standard turnover/bad business model in a tourist community? Thanks.

Apr 2nd - 10:05am | Anonymous

Gee, Kurt, couldn't you have done your April Fools story on Mules in the Grand Canyon,LOL? Guess one could just insert different locations :).  Interesting reading the comments without benefit of the story.

Apr 2nd - 10:01am | SS !

Kurt don’t sweat any of it. The NP Traveler is a great site that I really enjoy reading even though I didn't care for the joke. Most likely you have made the day for the ORV proponents with the retracted April Fools article, nothing makes them feel better than righteous indignation and they figure you are beholden to them now.

Apr 2nd - 09:46am | No PC

Forget the effect on Satire it's much worse than that.  It goes to the core of all the evil that's evident today.  Truth is basically offensive to some so it has to be skirted or somehow punished when it appears.  What a crock...

South Kaibab Trail Repaired in Grand Canyon National Park, Mule Use To Resume

Apr 3rd - 13:46pm | Good News

The comments here seem pretty sparse.  This is good news folks, in a lot of ways!  Hope the twisted premise that caused so much trouble throughout the EA process can be laid to rest at some point.  There are no Piping Plovers nor Spotted Owls nesting on this trail :). 

A Section of the Appalachian Trail Designed for Wheelchair Access Opens in Vermont

Apr 3rd - 09:36am | Stumpmaster

It is a shame that Maryland is still trying to compensate for some shortage done to hikers like him.  I came on here to respond to his comments from the disabled propective, as my name implies, I have a stump for a leg due to an illness when I was 49.  So I have a few years behind me and I have now been "disabled" for almost 10 years. 

Boat At Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Quarantined For 30 Days For Mussel Infestation

Apr 2nd - 14:18pm | destroyerman

good job,i am from new york state along the st.lawrence river,this has been a problem for a long time..any boat from out of state should be inspected before it can launch anywhere in nv. it has to happen,but sad to say the lakes will get infested,with the measures we have now,the state and gov need to work on this together,its not the sole responibilty fo the gov. to control all of this....

Apr 2nd - 14:12pm | Me

Drain Lake Powell, problem solved...

Does the National Park Service Need a Quota System for Peak Seasons?

Apr 2nd - 13:39pm | Anonymous

Any question as to what the position of the Sierra Club and the likes would be?  Perfect group for satire!  Could they take the heat,LOL?

Apr 2nd - 10:32am | Ginny

Let's see, here at CHNSRA the NPS has taken 73 miles and reduced the amount available to the primary form of recreation to 12 miles during peak season.  As the reduction has multiplied the 2.7 million visitor total has decreased to 2.2 million with around 1.1 million of those visitors allocated to the summer months.

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