Parks capacity need to be capped. Especially Yellowstone. Even if means at times I cannot go. It is a miserable experience and harmful to the very Parks we love when they become the equivalent of a Mall or Disneyland. 

I live in the east, where we have almost no national parks. Crowds have dissuaded me from traveling west to park land more than once. Crowds on trails can be daunting and dangerous, but the worst behavior shows up in parking lots, where buses, trailers and vans block other people's access to the sights. The parking lots, many constructed decades ago, cannot keep pace with the rise of national park travel. 

I read this suggestion from another person and totally agree. it seems like something easy that could be implemented right away. my family lives the van life for 2 months during summer vacation and we hit at least 2 dozen state/nat parks per year. many utah nat parks are ruinously packed. Huge tour buses filled with foreign tourists can afford to pay ALOT more to the parks directly instead of to their travel company. Buses and shuttles annoying reminder of the modern, industrial life we seek to forget by visiting parks in the 1st place. I'd nonetheless rather see them than larger parking lots. over touristing is a critical degeneration of the most unique resources in the world. Yet part of their inspiring essence is that they are open to all who love them. I don't think there is a way to solve this without the sacrifice becoming a serious pain in the neck to all of us who want continued unlimited access. really getting to explore the parks fully will always require a personal vehicle. More people are wanting this in addition to there being more drive-by visitors. Maybe find a better way to serve each category separately. Not sure how to do this at all. The super commercialized formats for parks like zion make me want to die. 

I noticed the poll has no option for "crowds are NOT a problem".  So the decision has already been made.

If reservation systems are implemented, I hope a limited number of first come first served visitors will be allowed each day as is the case with campgrounds.  In addition, some priority should be given to US citizens, as some parks have significant foreign visitation.  I believe the number @ Grand Canyon is upwards of 40%.  The American worker pays taxes for these parks; wealthy foreign visitors do not.  The NPS was specifically established for the benefit of the American People, not the world's wealthy.

Do each bus passanger pay the same one day fee as auto passangers?  Do all national parks charge for parking just as MT Rushmore.  I like the Grand Canyon's shuttle bus system-it encourages people to leve their cars parked.  Althouogh doubling the number of buses on the last run of the day would be appreciated. Perhaps having hotel.motel vacancy condition available at the entrance would be appreciated. (North Rim of Grand Canyon for example)

Anyone who would select "I don't find national parks to be overcrowded" either never visits national parks or is delusional.

My son and I hiked to top of Cadillac Mountain in January, 2020. There was only one other person at the top. My son and I did the entire Under the Rim trail at Bryce in July, 2019 and we also saw very few people. I drove across country in November and had multiple hikes at Shenandoah NP and New River Gorge NP entirely To myself. So what I've learned is to go off-season and hike more than a mile from the parking lots. That's where the magic happens. 

The majority of national parks are not crowded. But people are fixated on a handful of parks - Yosemite, Yellowstone, Arches, etc. - and also fixated on certain spots - Angels Landing and the Narrows in Zion or Old Faithful in Yellowstone, Glacier's and Rocky Mountain's high roads. Visitation also concentrates on midmorning to midafternoon.

A lot of frustration could be alleviated if people expanded visits to less-known parks or less-visited areas in parks. And being willing and able to walk or bike will help you escape the crowds. I remember someone asking me in Zion for a beautiful spot with no people that you could drive to and I responded "I can give you two of those but not all three."

There are some amazin, NPS worthy sights on BLM land, National Forest land, and state land out west. The national parks are like a beginner/entry level way to appreciate the outdoors. If you want solitude, there is a canyon out there for you :)

What are poll results so far?

Good point.

I do believe our National parks are overcrowded, I don't have an answer to the problem. I have thoughts but not sure how to implement them in a legal way! Go back two years ago when the pandemic hit America, remember it was  reported by park rangers that they had never seen so many of the animals come to the forefront and out of hiding.  That truly must have been a magnificent site. That should be a goal ! National park services ask your employees what they would like to see be done about overcrowding.

I'm sure all of us who go to the National Parks for respite, are a little panicked by the crowds, however, I am thrilled as an educator that so many people (and children) are experiencing the majesty of our parks. As more people experience the magic, more will be changed forever.  They will help us protect and preserve our parks for the generations that will come.after us.

Sections of parks are overcrowded. Hikers will begin to encounter fewer people for every additional mile hiked. Get people out of their cars and into shuttles. Cars are the problem not people.

Overcrowding is a real concern; so is equitable access. Tricky slope. 

As an ex NPS Ranger, I love our parks, however they are being loved to death. Overcrowded and a host of other problems have led me away from visiting our parks. I opt for other federal lands when I travel, camp, hike, etc. for the last decade now. 

We try to go on off season, however, I find it extremely stressful to have the timed entry. Arches has only an hour window and we are coming from the east coast. last year Yosemite gave 3 day passes. I'm hoping once the virus is down and international travel opens, the parks will be less crowded.

I have been visiting and hiking the smokies for over 30 years.  Never before have I seen the destruction that has been done during this pandemic influx of visitors.  The littering is unbelievable. How could anyone view the beauty of our national parks and then toss their leftover food containers on the ground?  Many visitors park where no parking signs are posted and then create erosion from their tire marks. How I wish someone of prominence would guide us back to Lady Bird Johnson's program of Keep America Beautiful. Also disheartening in the park is the need to lockdown flush restrooms and replace with port a potties because of over capacity on the septic systems in the park by too many visitors. The park is so full of traffic you can hardly get to your trailhead parking and I mean even for trails that are not popular with tourists.  We must find a way to lower visitor traffic in our parks before it's too late to rehab the destruction.

We went in June and this park was an awful experience. We got to the park parking lot at 5:45 am to get in line for the tram that takes you into the park itself. Unless you arrive that early you can't actually get into the park parking lot. It'll be full. We then had to wait in a long line for almost an hour to get onto a bus - yes, the line was that long at 5:45am. Then there were the crowds in the park. Every where felt like being in Disneyland. Honestly, the Riverside Walk felt like being in Manhattan on a busy summer day. It's a real shame because the park itself is so beautiful - but we will never go back. 

I have visited National Parks for nearly 70 years (the first when I was 2), and the overcrowding is insane at the more popular parks.  Perhaps there could be a more strict limit on tour busses, because I believe that individuals and families are the ones who benefit the most from the parks.  Living in Durango, we used to just head to most of the Western parks whenever we felt like it. Now to take our grandchildren to get their junior ranger badges, we have to do extreme planning way in advance.  I agree with the permitting/timed entry/ shuttle systems, as well as going during shoulder seasons or at odd times, and also going to less-popular places, although I'd hate to see those getting too crowded. We also try to hike/backpack away from the parking lots, but still want our grandkids to see the famous spots.  I do not have the answer, other than to suggest that tour groups be much more limited and are charged way more due to their much greater impact.

Our Natinal Parks are over crowded but I think one of the bigger problems is the trash. I can go enjoy the outdoors and get away from the hordes of insta-star morons, you just can't get away from their trash. They leave it everywhere Except for where it belongs! These are a special kind of moron. It gets left on the side of the road, on the side of trails, on the side of our streams and lakes. They even leave it NEXT to the trash cans!! These are the same people that live in the cities, that scream about "climate crisis" yet you spread your disease like wildfire. I've always been taught to "Give A Hoot, Don't Polute!" Maybe this needs to be drilled into people's brains again! We have one planet and you all keep wanting to trash it. As far as I'm concerned if you can't hike into a National Park, if you can't pack it in and pack it out, if you can't leave no trace then you have no business being in the wilderness. 

My daughter and granddaughter and I visit the Tetons and Yellowstone and Glacier every year, kind of a family tradition, and since we live in Utah and Colorado, it's not a huge drive. Last summer, we were picking up trash everywhere we went, even on the backtrails, things like sandwiches and pastries in their original containers, not even opened. Great for the bears. We're going to try it again this year, but I've already cancelled the Glacier part of the trip because why create bad memories when we can go elsewhere and have good ones? I have a feeling this will be our last year and then we'll go to non-parks, which is sad for my 7 year old granddaughter, who loves getting her ranger badges and such (we already spend time outdoors a lot where we live). One reason people flood the parks is they feel safer there because of all the infrasturcture and other people (not necessarily true, as more people get injured in car accidents in Ystone than animal attacks and such). They think they're experiencing the wilderness and yet have very little idea what that really means. It's more of a playground for them. They're not learning any respcet or what solitude means or how to tread lightly. In my opinion, this is actually worse than if they didn't visit at all, in spite of people saying it's good that more and more people are discovering the outdoors. They probably actually aren't discovering much of anythign except how to post to Instagram and get their friends' attention. Studies have shown that the less time poeple spend outdoors, the more narcissistic they become, and it's very evident in our national parks. WE of course visit Arches and Canyonlands, as it's in our backyard, but that's also now off the list except in winter because of the noisy disrespectful crowds.

I am a former Yellowstone Park researcher, biologist, and first responder.  Limiting visitors will midigate the detrimental effects of traffic jams , accidents, improve visitor experience and enjoyment!  The parks themselves are overwhelming to most, if not all who visit.  By adding the increase stimulus of overcrowding you create a overload situation which decreases the visitors connection to our national treasures, reduces the creation of environmentalism and support for conservation.  If you need it spelled out, your ruining visitors experience and destroying the parks in the process.  Wake up NPS, USFWS, and DOI, BOLM!

The parks are definitely too crowded during the height of tourist season which is a problem in a couple of ways. It's also the reason we stick with off season. Too many entitled people don't believe they need to take care of the parks and they can do as they want. I literally heard one tell a Ranger on Mt Rainier, "Well, it's my park!" They litter, they harass the animals and do stupid things all for the selfie. The second part of this is with the budget cuts the aren't enough Rangers to nail these people. Also, fines and bans need to be stiffer. It would be nice if the litter bug had to pay a fine and give 24 hours of picking up trash, those who harass the animals have to spend 24 hours with a Ranger learning, etc. 

I adore our parks and am in 7th Heaven just admiring everything 

The reservation system that Yosemite put in place because of Covid-19's affect needs to be made permanent 
Unlimited access for an unlimited number of people to a limited resource is obviously not sustainable.

A theater doesn't sell a 1000 tickets for 200 seats and then lets everyone just fight it out for a seat.

But that's what Yosemite and other popular parks have done for years.

People can and do accept limits even Disneyland cuts it off at a predetermined capacity.

If you want a reservation at the best restaurant in town for Valentine's Day you don't call at 7Pm the day of.

Parks are no different plan ahead and enjoy a quality visit that doesn't destroy the very thing that is the attraction.

The major parks are a mess.  But in truth, all the Parks are under funded, under staffed, poorly maintained and need major capital improvements to handle today's campers, hikers and day visitors.  Physical infrastructure needs to be built to handle today's larger RVs. IT infrastructure needs to be improved inside the parks so cell phones work.  The NPS website is a poorly structured mess, and Reservations.Gov is the worst of it all. Where can the mone come from to fix it all? Congress needs to appropriate much more money, 10 times as much as they do now. The Park Service needs to charge everyone fees and non-citizens entry fees should start with $200.00 per head. Busses, cars and large vehicle fees need to be jacked up to reduce crowding in the busy season at the major parks. And, of course, all park visitors should have to register in advance in a real reservation system. Reservation.gov needs to be contracted out to someone who can program a computer system and has the capacity to deal with massive increases in workload. And no more first come, first served campgrounds or visitation. Get a reservation ticket online, or don't come.  Without appropriate funding, visitor controls, regulation and staffing, the parks are being ruined, in our generation, especially the biggest and grandest places. 

Yes! Parks are definitely over visited! And even though the reservation system is a huge inconvenience for some of us it is sorely needed and about time. We have changed our idea of park visits to off-season and are avid hikers who can eacape crowds by more time spent back country. It is still disheartening to see the disrespect shown to our beautiful natural spaces and the wildlife that lives there. It is also frustrating to arrive at trailheads to find every spot already taken. Maybe limiting access or charging more would weed out those who are there for the wrong reasons. Our national parks and all natural spaces need to be treasured and enjoyed by those who appreciate and respect its value.

I like to go to the Smokies, Zion, and Yosemite in April or May when the weather is nice and the crowds aren't overwhelming. I would never go in the summer. Unfortunately, it's still late winter at high elevations parks like Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Olympic, etc. ...so you pretty much are forced to go during summer. I guess that's why I haven't been to those parks yet. :(

The parks are not being "loved to death"...

The PARKING LOTS are being "loved to death"...

The crowding has definitely gotten painfully bad at some parks. And I don't think the Park service has thought enough about ways they can spread the people around better. For instance, we were at Zion a couple months ago and almost half the stops in the valley had the hikes I love that are closed for one reason or another. And when you go to the eastern section of the park, there's hardly any spots to park if you want to hike to the valley overlook.

There's probably lots of other hikes they could create to other overlooks above the Zion valley that would spread the crowds out even more. Canyonlands has plenty of other hikes they could create from the Island in the Sky overlooks to the areas below that would enhance the experience there as well as lessening the crowds at Arches.

I'm sure there's similar things they could do at Glacier, Yosemite, great smoky, Olympic, to give people access to sections of those parks that have beautiful overlooks or hikes That are equally impressive. And why is it that there aren't more national parks in the East? Vermont and New Hampshire have numerous spots that people don't know about.

do these choices cost money - - you bet. And people will pay more if the experience in nature is less crowded. it seems like the Park service is so afraid that poor folks won't go to the parks did they have price for a week at a national park less than the cost a Family will pay for movie tickets. Think about it, people spend $150 for one ticket to Disneyland. And of course folks pay thousands of dollars to come from all over the world to see these parks -- And pay almost nothing for the park entrance fees.

The one thing I don't want to see is an online ticketing system like Zion's that fills up within a minute of going live. I used it and it was an awful experience. 

Certain areas have been overcrowded for years...Old Faithful, Logan Pass, Zion Canyon, Yosemite Valley, Bear Lake in RMNP...but for those of us who enjoy hiking the areas of the less visited park trails, or getting up before dawn to find great photo opportunities, limiting access means no flexibility with regards to travel or weather issues.

To some extent I expect that as the pandemic wanes, fewer people will come to the parks as city travel etc regains appeal. However I think heavier use of shuttle systems in the high season will be very important moving forward. During the pandemic, perhaps these could have open windows to reduce the risk of COVID spread. Perhaps there could be shuttles running to the main sights where the greatest vehicle congestion occurs? This is a very tough problem because we want everyone to be able to appreciate our amazing national park system, but the crowds have substantial negative impacts.

Perhaps too a mandatory brief video reminder about leaving no trace and being careful and considerate, to be watched prior to park entry?

Our family tries hard to avoid high season because of crowds but it is tricky with school schedules. 

The number of tour busses in the most popular national parks is overwhelming. I have been pushed aside when the buses pull up and unload as the passengers get off and rush to take pictures. it can be dangerous especially when they crowd the narrow walkeays around hot spring pushing to get that once in a lifetime photo. Trash is left everywhere on the ground when they leave. Why not limit the number of busses per day through a reservation system for tour operators.

Cars aren't the problem. I have been to the national parks many times before the pandemic and the issues are always the same. it is basically an overuse problem and lack of respect for for what is considered the Crown Jewels of the country. Even if all vehicles entering the parks were electric busses(which is unrealistic)you would still have the same issues.

There is no ideal solution to the problem when humans are involved. This is will become our new normal, and all our parks will suffer to the detriment of us all

As Kurt Vonnegut wrote: "So it goes"

I don't know the right answers to these problems, but I have an opinion. When we were a Yellowstone in 2019 in the September off season, it was bearable, but nearly every site in the park and nearly every hotel in the area was filled 75 to 80% with foreigners from tour busses. It seems to me that both private tour groups and with cooperation from the park system is making it worse. Each one of these tour busses holds 50 to 75 or more "tourists" in the space that only four automobiles take up. Both the parking lots of the park as well as nearby hotels were filled with these mass transit busses. I believe the park system needs to limit the number of these tour busses to half of what they are now.  I also believe this "reservation" system is going to make things worse.  Like one of the commentors described, that it's nearly impossible to travel from the east coast into the west to visit national parks, unless you navigate the complicated reservation system.  I really feel sorry for the seniors.  The park system is making it too complicated for them.  What the park system is unexpectedly forcing , is a new industry to be formed, where you pay a service to plan the reservations for you for a big price. Heck, it might exist now and I just don't know about it.  Maybe there should be a day of every week or a couple days of each week that seniors can get it now matter what.

Im sure Europe has the same issues and opinions about he "swarm" of American tourists each summer overloading their historical sites and park systems.

Want to also add.    Arches is requiring a reservation for a one hour window to enter the park.  Jess....trying to plan a vacation from out east and we have to try to plan a one hour window, 2000 miles away!  Come on !

There's nothing more frustrating than trying to do your job meanwhile tourists have turned the US highways in Yellowstone in to parking lots. People who park in the middle of the road have zero appreciation for natural splendor or their fellow man. As such, I think we should gather these people and at a minimum ban them from the national parks, but preferably we should make them publicly wrestle an elk or a bison. Would make for great YouTube. 

Speaking from what I have experienced at RMNP, Arches and Canyonlands some of the parking lots are extremely small and they could be expanded to accomodate more people. Also the entrance gates at these parks have only one opened at a time most days which just enables long wait times. People who have annual passes shouldn't have to wait in long lines. Having said this, I do think the timed entrance passes help with crowding but there should be some system in place to allow for locals and US citizens to have first dibs. Even if you do get a pass into the park there is no guaranteed parking as I found out in the off season at RMNP while trying to go snowshoeing! Also I agree with other's comments about utilizing shuttles and limiting tour buses. Mostly what I see ruining our national parks are the many people who have never been taught or rather don't care to respect the land. They hike off trail, leave trash and feces everywhere, get to close to wildlife, and overcrowd trails making it difficult and dangerous for people who actually are avid hikers and enjoy the wilderness. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a person hiking in sandals with no water, a selfie stick, or a doggie bag along the side of a trail in CO. Thankfully dogs aren't allowed in our parks! 

I visited the greater yellowstone ecosystem every year from 1973-1993 (except the bigFire year of 1998). The illegal introduction of lake trout by bucket biologists thereafter downgraded the ecosystem. The re-introduction of wolves in 1995 created a whole ecosystem upgrade. Not until 2018 did I return.

I used to flyfish the Lamar Valley, predominately with no one in sight. I could move from turnout to turnout all day long without company, let alone congestion. A wilderness experiience with the road still in sight. Re-visiting that experience (shoulder season september) yielded far fewer trout to hand. The wolf groupies and tour buses clogged all of the turnouts east from the Buffalo Ranch as a pack fed on a bison carcass. I had a solo shore lunch of jerky and fruit roll-ups at the old picnic ground (since reclaimed) with the drone of traffic and conversation cascading in the background. The wolves were on the other (south) side of the river and upstream. A grizzly emerged from amethyst creek to claim his share of the carcass. Yes, I carry bear spray. The crowd was growing, turning the wilderness into spectator sport. I safely returned to my car park downstream, without incident, to let nature take its course.

Social distancing applies to our interaction with other species, not just homo sapiens. It applies forever, not just to pandemics. Overcrowding is a super spreader of bad behavior.

The conundrum of infrastructure versus budget is the problem. The NPS cannot toot their centennial horn without curing their deficiencies concurrently. The Great American Outdoors Act is not even close to funding those deficiences, but it allows politicians to say they did, when they functionally didnt. What is needed is a payroll deducion (like FICA) that goes directly to the NPS, combined with a per person non-resident entry tarriff that stays 100% within the park collected.

I wouldn't consider visiting most of the parks I love during summer or the shoulder season - MUCH too crowded.  NPS needs to set caps on daily visitation and set up a reservation system/lottery to manage visitation.  The parks have been loved to death for a long time, and these past couple of years have been devastating.

I was 70 years old in 2018. I spent seven days in the park. I was willing to walk a riverbank all day every day. There used to be 20 inch cutthroat trout everywhere. Ive seen more of the backcountry, walking and horse packing, in my time than you've been alive. I know where I like and I went there. Its over-crowded.

I don't agree that the National Parks need to accommodate the large RV monstrosities. If you need to bring your entire home with you, you can reserve a spot at a private "trailer village" outside of the National Parks for a hefty fee. Someone who is driving their 42' RV & towing a vehicle have no business thinking they are welcome in our National Parks.