I've written a new article for the Frommers.com newsletter. This one is called 'How Do You Keep a National Park from Becoming a Parking Lot?'. When I set out to write this piece, I was coming at it from a jaded angle, with the feeling that shuttles will encapsulate the park experience, and that they will repackage the potential adventure found in parks into a safe, time-managed, ordered, auto-tour.
But, after talking with friends and reading about the positive things these shuttles are doing, my feeling changed quickly. The very real benefits of park shuttles far outweigh my original shortsighted vision. As mentioned in the article, the shuttles have the potential to actually enhance both the natural landscape and the experience of visiting the park!
It's been said before, Americans have a love affair with the car, the manifestation of our national free-will; I will go wherever I want, whenever I want, because I can. With this personal attachment to the car, I imagine there are a lot of people out there like me that shrug at the thought of climbing on board a bus at the park. My new found excitement for the shuttle exists because my love of parks outweigh my love for the freedom found in the car. How about you? What has been your shuttle experience?
By the way, Kurt's got an article in the current Frommer's park newsletter too. His is called 'Spending a Night in a National Park: Lodge, Tent or Open Sky?'.
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Comments
One of the reasons why the Shuttle works in Zion is the presence of convenient nearby public parking in Springdale, UT, at the mouth of Zion Canyon.
I believe Yosemite Valley would be a much better place if such a Shuttle Sytem were to be expanded to include the entire Valley floor East of the Valley View junction of Hwy 120. The challenge will be, as it has been, the siting of an appropriate parking/staging area for the Shuttle (removing the huge sprawling parking areas currently in the vicinity of Yosemite Village and Curry Village), extending the Valley Shuttle Service to include El Capitan Meadow, Valley View, and Bridalvieil Fall, and overcoming the political antagonism of Delaware North, Inc., local gateway communities who fear that any additional effort to reduce private cars entering the valley will become a direct threat to their economic well-being, and right-wing political conservatives like Thomas Sowell.
Restricting the private car from areas of outstanding scenery, but vulnerable to traffic congestion has been practiced throughout Europe, Zermatt, Switzerland being an excellent example. I wish it would happen within the Great Smokies, especially regarding the Cades Cove loop.
I'm really glad to learn of the success that the Shuttle is having in Zion Canyon.
Owen Hoffman
I wish there was a better shuttle system in many of the national parks. I think that the use of car actually restricts your freedom when you visit the park. For example, if you go hiking, you always have to come back to the point where you left your car. Rather than walking 5 miles to some place and then 5 miles back on the exactly same trail, I would prefer walking for 10 miles on the trail that would take me from one shuttle stop to another.