People Visiting Parks During The Pandemic

[Marcoose]

I've read two articles this week, I think one was on Politico --old man's disease, I can't remember shit :laughing--, anyhoo ... one article was about visitors at/near Glacier Natl Park, the other about visitors at/near Yellowstone.

The gist is this. We can't or don't feel safe flying, so we pack sandwiches and strap the family in a rented RV, and off to the national/state parks. The articles mentioned higher-than-usual rubbish littered along trails, rudeness towards locals, fights over virus precautions and existence, locals testing positive, etc. A bloody mess, it seems.

I don't get it. Perhaps it's just like that every year in every touristy destination and the silly reporters are just fishing for cheap sensationalism. But since when we leave our manners home? Is that normal?

 

[WoodsChick]

We have a place just outside Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. We’ve seen a lot more rental RV’s this year, and quite a few more brand new ones. Way more than last year. I personally know several people who have just bought their first RV. There were bidding wars on a few of them. This is translating to chaos on the roads up there. People don’t grasp how big they are, how slow they’re going, how many people are stacked up behind them, how far over the double yellow they are. We’ve seen a few of them parked where they have no business being. It’s been pretty crappy. And that’s not even taking into account the behavior of the occupants once they exit the RV. It’s definitely not going unnoticed by the locals.

 

[CDONA]

National parks will attract foreigners, bus loads of them. When a bus stops at an attraction, the line gets long and deep for THE selfie spot.
Language barriers insure rude behavior

Lot more newbies in RV's this year, they don't know the ropes at all.

 

[Yakoo752]

National parks will attract foreigners, bus loads of them. When a bus stops at an attraction, the line gets long and deep for THE selfie spot.
Language barriers insure rude behavior

Lot more newbies in RV's this year, they don't know the ropes at all.

non-essential travel is secured, people are not coming into the US to vacation

OP, trash has been an ongoing problem as of late. Thank foreigners and our wonderful selfie generation.

 

[chickenfried]

The local state/county park during the weekdays and off hours me and a few others would basically have it to ourselves. Now i pull up and there's a line up of cars parked where there used to be a couple.
Of course the park is more messy and more people not following etiquette.
There's a percentage of people that are messy and rude.
More visitors, more of those people...

I've read two articles this week, I think one was on Politico --old man's disease, I can't remember shit :laughing--, anyhoo ... one article was about visitors at/near Glacier Natl Park, the other about visitors at/near Yellowstone.

The gist is this. We can't or don't feel safe flying, so we pack sandwiches and strap the family in a rented RV, and off to the national/state parks. The articles mentioned higher-than-usual rubbish littered along trails, rudeness towards locals, fights over virus precautions and existence, locals testing positive, etc. A bloody mess, it seems.

I don't get it. Perhaps it's just like that every year in every touristy destination and the silly reporters are just fishing for cheap sensationalism. But since when we leave our manners home? Is that normal?

 

[matty]

Conversely and only anecdotally, I've done a couple of dispersed camping trips this year and one at a campsite with no garbage service and can say I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of litter. Often when I disperse camp, I'll see cans, bottles and toilet paper, not these trips. There was some, but not as much as I usually see. Trails were pretty clean too. I'm heading down to Big Sur/ Naciemento area soon, I'll report back.

 

[Agent Orange]

Tahoe was already a shit show without the pandemic, so I cant imagine what its like now with people nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. Itll be interesting to see what happens during the upcoming ski season if they'll even allow any skiing to happen at all. Those lodges are going to be major virus hubs unless they plan on keeping everyone outside.

 

[Marcoose]

non-essential travel is secured, people are not coming into the US to vacation

OP, trash has been an ongoing problem as of late. Thank foreigners and our wonderful selfie generation.

I cannot remember if the articles I've read mentioned the problem was foreigners. But like you said, very few foreign tourists are entering America right now. Do you mean the rudeness and rubbish problem in national and state parks is the foreigners that already live in America?

 

[DucatiHoney]

Damn Foreigners! ®™

 

[Yakoo752]

I cannot remember if the articles I've read mentioned the problem was foreigners. But like you said, very few foreign tourists are entering America right now. Do you mean the rudeness and rubbish problem in national and state parks is the foreigners that already live in America?

No, I don't think that would be a fair assumption. I think any increase in traffic will simply increase the amount of trash. I wonder what the demographic shift looks like today.

I only have 10 years worth of experience with Yosemite but it has gotten worse while the day trip tourist buses have increased.

I wonder if there is a correlation between Whole Foods Shopper and person that visits National Parks because as of late, my WF parking lot is a fucking trash heap!

 

[Butch]

There has been some discussion amongst the CORVA, California Off Road Association, about this.

Apparantly there are... I could be colourful here but..
People without much experience in OHV and the whole “Tread Lightly” concept are out there in substantial numbers. Some behaving badly.

Folks who care and want continued OHV access, have to help these greenhorns be responsible members of the community.

 

[Eldritch]

I've read two articles this week, I think one was on Politico --old man's disease, I can't remember shit :laughing--, anyhoo ... one article was about visitors at/near Glacier Natl Park, the other about visitors at/near Yellowstone.

The gist is this. We can't or don't feel safe flying, so we pack sandwiches and strap the family in a rented RV, and off to the national/state parks. The articles mentioned higher-than-usual rubbish littered along trails, rudeness towards locals, fights over virus precautions and existence, locals testing positive, etc. A bloody mess, it seems.

I don't get it. Perhaps it's just like that every year in every touristy destination and the silly reporters are just fishing for cheap sensationalism. But since when we leave our manners home? Is that normal?

Civility in America died in the 1960's. :dunno

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

I only have 10 years worth of experience with Yosemite but it has gotten worse while the day trip tourist buses have increased.

I wonder if there is a correlation between Whole Foods Shopper and person that visits National Parks because as of late, my WF parking lot is a fucking trash heap!

Actually the WF comment is making me think m perhaps t you're actually describing is a generational shift. ..people who can afford different stores have shifted

Unfortunately however what you're also describing is highly localised--you can't distinguish whether it's not your own WF neighborhood that's changed and at the same time the parks..

 

[TylerW]

National parks will attract foreigners, bus loads of them. When a bus stops at an attraction, the line gets long and deep for THE selfie spot.
Language barriers insure rude behavior

Lot more newbies in RV's this year, they don't know the ropes at all.

Seriously, WHO THE FUCK is traveling to the US right now?

No one. These are your fellow citizens doing this. GTFO with your xenophobia.

 

[TylerW]

Civility in America died in 1491.

ftfy

 

[chickenfried]

Didn't need to look at the username to ID the jibber jabber.

ftfy

 

[Removed 3]

What was newsworthy was that in the waste water at one of the national parks hoards of people visit (I think Yosemite), they detected covid-19

 

[KooLaid]

Speaking of national parks..... sucks we can't even drive through the park without a reservation. Just added hours to an already long trip because of the size of the toy hauler being pulled. Tried the 48 hours thing this morning at exactly 7:00AM along with a couple of other buddies. We all got the message "191 passes remaining" the instant we hit ok at the stroke of 7:00AM and we all failed at getting a pass.

 

[Mike95060]

But since when we leave our manners home? Is that normal?

Yes. :nchantr

Having lived in touristy beach towns my entire life I can attest to the fact that a certain percentage of people put their selfish desired to have a good time above everything else and happily trash where ever they are.


PACK YOUR FUCKING TRASH!!!

 

[byke]

It's just people making their outside match their inside.