New statistics on camping in American national parks may contain clues as to which way the wind is blowing in this country.
In the United States, the number of overnight camping stays in national parks has declined significantly in the past 15 years. Of course, the numbers fluctuate from year to year due to things such as the state of the economy or, in America’s case, the brief shutdown of some parks last year, but some long term trends are clear.
National Park Service spokesman Jeffrey Olson said more lodging options near parks had been a major factor in the decline of national park camping.
He told the Seattle Times that gateway communities had become ‘savvier’ about offering hotels, motels, food and entertainment to visitors heading into the parks. It seems that for all the luxury available in the fabled American RV, some travellers still want more.
Mr Olson said it had become easier for visitors to spend the day inside a park and then get a comfy bed, maybe with Wi-Fi and cable TV, at night in a nearby town
He added that in the biggest, most famous and most-visited national parks, “camping is still very popular,” with numbers down only slightly and campgrounds often at capacity. But, he said, in smaller, less well-known parks, camping numbers are off as much as 30%.
* Do you think towns near national park entrances are offering better accommodation options than in the parks themselves? Are you ever tempted by them? Do you think there are less people opting for ‘basic’ national park camping than in years gone by? Comment below.
maybe price has something to do with it some parks ask a lot for a spot. Just as here the price of N.P. are on the up.
u don’t have to have a big vehicle to tow the van etc.
we are all different.
just enjoy