Ten One-star Reviews of Utah's National Parks

[Parma]

Saw this today and thought it was pretty funny. These are negative/one-star reviews of the National Parks here in Utah:
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/loc...ion_9a2af400-99a7-5316-8e5c-4eca165e1a67.html

I can see truth in some, and others may have been affected by family, weather, hunger, irritated after a long drive, and so on.

 

[slc_dan]

they are all right!! no on should come here.

 

[Laura]

I second that. Nothing to see in Utah, keep going until you get to Nevada.

 

[o2bav8]

Oh my...

 

[steve]

My first trip to zion didn't leave me awe-struck. My second trip did though. I think most people just show up to the visitor's center and have 4 hours to kill and don't have time to get back into the good stuff.

I can agree with quite a few of those reviews.

 

[WasatchWill]

Those are awesome! I found #5 and #6 to be pretty truthful though.

 

[Nurrgle]

I agree with #3 Zion is a mad house.

 

[Dave]

This is the downside to Utah's, and to some extent the federal government's, 'cram them all in' tourism mentality. The front country in almost all of Utah's parks is horribly over crowded, to the detriment of the visitor experience.

 

[Nurrgle]

Most parks are pretty bad for crowds at this point. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Redwoods, Zion all are crazy.

The last time I was at Old Faithful, I was about 5 rows back in a huge group of people, almost all of them foreigners and I am sure that everyone has seen the picture of half-dome and how insane that is.

One thing about S. Utah that I like is how approachable it is. You can go tourist and see Zion, go alone and see places like Upper Muley Twist, or go full out and spend a week in Grand Gulch or the Escalate Drainage.

 

[Dave]

You can go tourist and see Zion, go alone and see places like Upper Muley Twist, or go full out and spend a week in Grand Gulch or the Escalate Drainage.

For now, but the more these places are publicized and discovered, the more they'll end up overrun.

 

[WasatchWill]

For now, but the more these places are publicized and discovered, the more they'll end up overrun.

Yep. Places like Coyote Gulch are seeing more and more traffic every year now.

 

[andyjaggy]

Zion is a mad house. I find November to be the most enjoyable month down there. Bryce Canyon in January is also pretty awesome with very few people.

 

[Bob]

Gag ....................... you can always find negatives in anything.......

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

For now, but the more these places are publicized and discovered, the more they'll end up overrun.

Respectfully, I can't buy into this line of thinking. I see a lot of outdoor enthusiasts with the attitude of "let's keep this stuff a secret" in attempts to have nature all to themselves. It comes off as a selfish attitude imo. The land is for everyone, seems silly to have a "mine mine mine" attitude with it. It's not really a well thought out stance either... If only a limited number of people learn to appreciate these places, advocacy to preserve them will never reach a critical mass of enough people to advocate for their protection. When I see a family car camping for example, I think about how those children are being exposed to the outdoors at an early age, how perhaps their love and respect for nature will blossom, and that how when they turn into adults they will join the ranks of people who advocate for environmentally friendly policies. If my parents hadn't taken me car camping near popular natural areas when I was little, I wouldn't be giving money to all the conservationist groups that I do now as an adult; nynjtc, amc, adk, rails to trails, etc.

Yes, with droves of people comes behavior which is not respecting of the environment. But I think that a bigger movement to educate people on LNT and such is the key, not preventing places from being publicized and discovered.

Just my opinion.

 

[Dave]

Respectfully, I can't buy into this line of thinking. I see a lot of outdoor enthusiasts with the attitude of "let's keep this stuff a secret" in attempts to have nature all to themselves. It comes off as a selfish attitude imo. The land is for everyone, seems silly to have a "mine mine mine" attitude with it.

Where did I say stuff should be kept secret? I just made a statement of fact that publicity leads to increased visitation.

It's my opinion that increased visitation degrades the individual's wilderness experience. But has that stopped me from taking photos of the places I visit and writing trip reports? No.

 

[gnwatts]

I am glad places like this exist as National Parks, obviously it allows people who would not ordinarily get out, to go see some beautiful scenery, buy some chotskies, help get rid of the national debt etc. Humans need places to escape, even if we think they are ruining the view. Well, tough shit. What do people expect in a National Park? Solitude? If so, you have to work for it. We took our young son on a tour of the Utah National Parks in 2000, we were beaten back by the crowds in Zion, but we arrived at Bryce early in the morning on the first day they opened in the spring, had a cool little log cabin to sleep in and did not see a soul. We spent many nights camping in Arches over the years, and the crowds never really bothered us, and certainly did not concern the kids, as they handle these issues in a much more mature way than most adults.
We wanted our son to see these things, but we also took him on backpacking trips in Grand Gulch and the San Juans to enjoy the silence and solitude, to appreciate that too. Perspective is a good thing.
If you want a wilderness experience, spend time in a true wilderness.

 

[BJett]

When i visit Utah I avoid the NP's, there are way to many areas to explore without permits, designated campsites and crowds. I agree that the Parks are great for getting people out and experiencing this country's most beautiful landscapes, we are lucky to have the National Park system. Especially Utah's NP's, the crown jewels.
My experience with the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM after 8 years away was interesting. I noticed a lot more people around town, mostly older and going on guided tours. I was worried that Death Hollow would be filled with people but we didn't see anyone for 3 days, during prime season with perfect weather. Coyote, Neon/Egypt, Brimstone/Peekaboo, Escalante River around the bridge...yeah they are getting hammered more and more but the vast majority of the Monument is crowd-free. Easy to get away if you have the means and confidence to get out there.
Give me the Dirty Devil canyons, White Canyon complex, San Rafael Swell, Dark/Bowdie/Gypsum/Beef Basin area, Grand Gulch/Cedar Mesa...so many lifetimes worth of exploring. Most of these don't have an official "status" (yet), still relatively off the map but seeing an increase in use yet nothing compared to the Parks.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

Where did I say stuff should be kept secret? I just made a statement of fact that publicity leads to increased visitation.

... the more these places are publicized and discovered, the more they'll end up overrun.

When I read the sentence above, I assumed that you don't enjoy overrun parks, therefore wish they weren't as publicized and discovered. If I misinterpreted your simple statement of fact, as a gripe, my apologies.

 

[uintafly]

I am glad places like this exist as National Parks, obviously it allows people who would not ordinarily get out, to go see some beautiful scenery, buy some chotskies, help get rid of the national debt etc. Humans need places to escape, even if we think they are ruining the view. Well, tough shit. What do people expect in a National Park? Solitude? If so, you have to work for it. We took our young son on a tour of the Utah National Parks in 2000, we were beaten back by the crowds in Zion, but we arrived at Bryce early in the morning on the first day they opened in the spring, had a cool little log cabin to sleep in and did not see a soul. We spent many nights camping in Arches over the years, and the crowds never really bothered us, and certainly did not concern the kids, as they handle these issues in a much more mature way than most adults.
We wanted our son to see these things, but we also took him on backpacking trips in Grand Gulch and the San Juans to enjoy the silence and solitude, to appreciate that too. Perspective is a good thing.
If you want a wilderness experience, spend time in a true wilderness.

Well said. I have found that even on the busiest days in the busiest parks (Zion and Yellowstone) all it takes is a little hiking and you are rid of most of the folks. Last year however we were at Yellowstone with a 2 year old who had decided riding in the backpack was no bueno, so we never escaped the crowds. Still had a blast. Just have to enter it knowing you are going to share the experience with a lot of others. Hey, it's better than the mall!

 

[Dan_85]

I think Ed Abbey would agree with a few of those reviews!