The
National Geographic predicted increased traffic at the National Parks and the author, Melville Bell Grosvenor, President & Editor of National Geographic Society was right. At the time of the issue, July 1966, he noted that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the most visited of all national parks, welcoming 5 million people per year. Now I've seen reports of 9 million people visiting per year, nearly double in less than 50 years.
I think Melville also understood the growth drivers,
"More and more of us are living in cities and suburbs...But a steel-and-concrete environment does not give the American people all the inspiration they need to stay happy and productive. We also need sunshine, clean air, and natural beauty. Thus paradoxically, the more we live in the cities, the more we turn outdoors." Do you find that the more time you spend in the city, the more you crave getting into nature?
Want to get out in nature without spending most of your time in traffic?
Tips:
1) Rent a place where you can retreat away from the chaotic strip (like Lightning Bug Lodge).
2) Visit popular places like Great Smoky Mountain National Park's Cades Cove early in the morning to beat the crowds.
3) Plan an activity that gets the family out of the car. Perhaps a new type of transportation like horseback riding, tubing, skiing, or walking with llamas. Llamas!?!?! Yes, visit the Smoky Mountain Llama Trek website
http://www.smokymountainllamatreks.com/
4) Avoid the Sunday early afternoon traffic home: leave Sun. AM or stay another night and leave Mon.
Melville Grosvenor wrote another article about the National Parks in National Geographic. He further explains our attraction to the parks, "All the parks, whatever their specific names, have a common denominator. They renew us in one way or another, re-create something deep within us." It's more than just our fascination with plants, animals, and grand formations. It's also about connecting to other people and creating memories. Melville touches upon this wish too, "We all wonder, in the parks, and sometimes we grow closer to one another (I am not referring to the exasperating traffic congestion). It happens when, assembeled near Old Faithful in Yellowstone, we marvel at the faithful miracle. Grouped in dread fascination beneath El Capitan in Yosemite, we are linked more subtly." I agree. I remember viewing Old Faithful and El Capitan in awe and I remember the people standing with me too. Tips for creating memories: 1) Plan a special moment. Why not set an alarm to watch a sunrise or sunset with your sweatheart? 2) Don't plan every moment. Make your vacation as long as possible and leave plenty of free time to discover an unexpected site or event together. 3) Bring your camera to capture a moment, but not every moment. Glued behind a lens, you risk capturing the moment, but not experiencing it. 4) Meet new people and get to know them well enough to become pen pals. Written letters (or more likely emails) will remind you of the good times.
