With more than 4 million visitors a year, Yellowstone National Park is witnessing a people problem. Can parking and shuttles be the answer? It may not be that simple. CC photo
by John Malmberg
Cody Enterprise
How many years will it be before Yellowstone National Park restricts its number of daily visitors?
Hopefully that scenario is a long way off and other options are exhausted before taking that titanic step.
How about those other options? Both Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly and Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins recently said parkwide shuttle systems don’t make sense for those two national parks. But we believe a shuttle system could help.
We agree there are some logistical problems with shuttle systems accommodating travel patterns. However, we would much prefer them rather than limiting the number of cars that can enter the park
Park visitors watch wildlife in the Lamar Valley with shuttles through Yellowstone Forever. Photo by Jacob W. Frank/NPS
.
Sholly said a recent study underscored that shuttles alone won’t solve all of the congestion problems.
We agree, but it could be a start.
In addition to the National Park Service providing shuttle service from parking lots at the parks’ entrances, other public transit services such as Southern Teton Area Rapid Transit could be options. START is a public bus service provided by the town of Jackson and Teton County and is currently exploring the possibility of providing service to the park.
Bus and van tours are another popular option for a segment of the population to see the parks without having to fight the crowded parking lot situation as is evident at Midway Geyser Basin and other popular attractions.
Rather than “managing access” (a phrase used by the park service) to limit visitors, we would prefer visitors have a choice. Would they rather fight for a parking spot, walk half a mile or take a shuttle or bus tour?
Bus and van tours are another popular option for a segment of the population to see the parks without having to fight the crowded parking lot situation as is evident at Midway Geyser Basin.
People should be able to make that decision for themselves rather than having government officials make that choice for them.
We abhor the idea of limiting visitors. Just one year ago with the flooding in Yellowstone, the park service “managed access” by restricting traffic by even and odd license plate numbers.
That decision decimated the tourism industry inside the park, in Cody and in the other gateway communities throughout the month of June.
While the solution to controlling congestion in Yellowstone and Teton parks is nebulous, it’s clear the park service doesn’t have all the answers either.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This opinion piece was first published in the Cody Enterprise, where John Malmberg is its publisher.
About John Malmberg
John Malmberg is a journalist and the publisher of the Cody Enterprise in Cody, Wyoming.
