Plenty of Room for You at Yellowstone

[twogypsies]

Visitation is DOWN!!

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.or...m_medium=email

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Visitation is DOWN!!

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.or...m_medium=email

While not the highest - at some point it is just a Saturation number I'm of the Opinion that 4 Million is that number. -

Not really sure my theory holds much water - as in 2007 when it hit 3 Million I thought that was the Limit -

Having been many times, and listing it as THE Number ONE National Park - I believe there just has to be a limit. -

For me on a personal Note - one year - end of October - first of November - Indian Summer - we visited YNP and the Tetons with very few people, Best Trip Ever. note here of all the months November is the one Month with the Least Visitors.

Wild and Beautiful Places are just more Beautiful with Very Few other People, Sorry but that's Just My Humble Opinion. -

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvis...ationstats.htm

https://www.yellowstone.co/stats.htm

Thank You Two Gypsies for sharing and allowing us to all reflect on YNP,

[UTTransplant]

At over 4 million visitors, I don’t think the visitor experience is much improved by having a 100,000 fewer people. I would guess there are fewer tour buses of international visitors rather than fewer campers. There is no doubt that every campground in the park fills up and many of the ones in the surrounding areas also fill up most nights. We go in mid-May while the weather is cool and there is still the possibility of snow. Only way to get away from the hordes.

[gladecreekwy]

If you park your car and walk for 20 min you will leave 95% of people behind. Driving from parking lot to parking lot is what most folks do so of course it seems crowed. Everyone wanting to come in early July doesn’t help either. The park is almost 3,500 sq miles so there’s always plenty of room

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by gladecreekwy

If you park your car and walk for 20 min you will leave 95% of people behind. Driving from parking lot to parking lot is what most folks do so of course it seems crowed. Everyone wanting to come in early July doesn’t help either.

You can get lucky - Tetons - and Madison CG in November .......Really Lucky!

[gladecreekwy]

Nice. The lucky part is that it wasn’t snowing and 0 deg.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by gladecreekwy

Nice. The lucky part is that it wasn’t snowing and 0 deg.

No the Lucky part is more animals than People - Temps were 60's in daylight and low of say 25 at night - no snow for the entire ten days - Few people - Plenty of Parking and as we left to do the Beartooth it was closed not due to Snow but Construction.

Beartooth and construction just to keep your interest up ;

[gladecreekwy]

Beautiful. It was definitely one of the nicest November we’ve had here in the past 25 years. Well done

[V3600]

I've got that old-age card that gets me in free but I still can't stomach the long lines and heavy crowds to site see. Also my 40' toyhauler is too big for these parks as the park people haven't kept pace with the RV industry by cutting down a tree to make some more room.

[RRR]

I wish we could make the trip during the spring or fall and avoid the crowds. But are taking grandkids and having to work around school and their dad's visitation time.

So late August it is.

[J Birder]

The problem at Yellowstone is certainly not lack of space. Rather, it is lack of facilities. There are not enough camp sites, and there are not enough parking spaces at the major attractions.


Lately, I have been going in September. That helps a little, but not enough. In late July, 2019, I couldn't get a campground reservation for two weeks in September at any of the campgrounds in the park.


I'm not entirely certain, but I don't think that a single new campsite has been added in the last 30 years. At the same time, the number of visitors has more than doubled.


In September, parking at many thermal areas or popular trailheads is merely difficult, in mid-summer, it verges on being impossible. At many of these areas, on the shoulders of the road for half a mile or more. Certainly, Yellowstone is not that short of space, that they can't expand a few lots, or add some new ones.


If, for some reason, they don't want more parking spaces, there is another possible solution. Several national parks (e.g. Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Sequoia, Zion, Bryce Canyon. etc.) have implemented shuttle buss systems that have reduced, or in some cases, completely eliminated vehicle congestion.


I don't claim to know what the solutions are, but I do know that the problems need to be fixed.


Joel