National parks are some of the greatest treasures Americans have ever been given. How lucky are we to have such vast pieces of land, spanning across multiple climates and numerous types of terrain, for our leisurely enjoyment? In these parks we are often able to escape the pollution we are exposed to in our daily lives, reconnect with nature, and be reminded of how small we are in the grand scheme of things. A visit to a national park will also often force you to unplug for the duration of your time there, something I think we all need to do a little more.
But if you have ever been to one of the more well known parks, then you know that things can get pretty crowded. You may be passing (or getting passed by) dozens of people on a single popular trail, you may have to fight for your own space to watch an epic sunrise or sunset with uninterrupted views, or you may have to wait in line for a while to check out at the visitor center. But these are all normal things that we’re okay with putting up with because it seems like such a small price to pay to witness the majesty that is contained within a national park.
But crowds aren’t “normal” anymore. Living in a pandemic has made us give side eye to anyone who sneezes or clears their throat in public, because what if they’re clearing their throat to cover up a cough? If it’s a cough then surely they must have the ‘rona! Being in crowds has always caused some people anxiety, but now the thought of being in the middle of a crowd is sure to give most people some form of an anxiety attack. And waiting in a line in an already small space? Absolutely not!
Like the rest of the world, the National Parks Service has had to rethink the way they operate the parks. In addition to general things like the operation of visitor centers, the check in booths, and facilities within the park, they have also had to figure out how to promote social distancing while in the great outdoors and work with local tribes to ensure their safety as well.
So what can you expect from national parks during COVID?
- Not all visitor centers are open. If you intend on stopping into one of them, research the park you’re going to beforehand to confirm which ones are open and what their hours of operation are.
- Most loop trails are now one way, with signs indicating which way you should enter the trail. For newer hikers, a loop trail starts and ends in the same place and goes around in a loop. Pre-pandemic you could go in any direction on the trail you wanted. Now, you are supposed to go in one specific way and head in a specific direction. This helps encourage social distancing in a couple ways: you’re not coming across any unexpected people and if you come to a narrow spot on the trail, you don’t need to worry about getting close to people coming in the opposite direction because theoretically you should all be going in the same direction.
Somehow I forgot to take a picture of these signs…I guess I was to distracted by all the beauty around me! Here is a picture of one of the signs directly from the National Park Service website. - Many campgrounds within the parks are closed. If you were planning on camping, double check to make sure your preferred campground is open right now.
- Most transportation services within the parks have been suspended for at least the rest of the summer, like the Island Explorer Bus in Acadia and both Red Bus Tours and boat tours at Glacier.
- Not all parks are currently selling annual passes because it would be an additional touchpoint. I was able to purchase my annual pass for the year at Joshua Tree National Park, but many other parks have stopped selling them. Research your park before visiting if you were planning on buying the America the Beautiful Pass. Some parks are allowing you to use a receipt from an individual park fee as proof of payment towards the annual pass, while other parks have just opted to waive their fees altogether (like Channel Islands National Park).
- Most guided tours and ranger-led activities are cancelled until further notice. Check with your park before visiting though because a few parks have started these back up over the past few weeks.
Everything around us is changing and I believe that life as we knew it is over, but all things considered, the changes in our national parks are minimal and a trip to a park still feels pretty “normal” compared to other parts of life. If you’re looking for a safe escape to bring you some much needed grounding, head to your closest national park. Or, if you don’t actually live close to one like me, make a dope roadtrip out of it! Maybe hit up more than one!