Do national parks need more wifi & cell connectivity? Really? :-(

[Guest]

Yes, I've visited Yellowstone a few times, and have always stayed in Gardiner or West Yellowstone, Montana (well, once in Jackson WY, but that was more of a trip to Grand Teton NP). Fortunately, some parks have reasonable access so that one can stay just outside and get in fairly quickly. The best is the narrow Grand Canyon NP in which, at least for the South Rim, Tusayan is very convenient (no luck for the North Rim). Yosemite is quite tough. The only non-park lodging with a less than 45 minute drive into the valley (assuming no wait at the entrance!) is the Yosemite View Lodge, where I've stayed many a time. Even getting a room there is challenging, but at least you're not paying a fortune for a shit-hole. Kings Canyon is the worst. There's nothing within about 90 minutes' drive of the Cedar Grove (main) area, unless you want to stay at the awful Cedar Grove Lodge in the park, which is barely better than pitching a tent.

Death Valley NP is also a win-less proposition. It's now having a super-bloom, by the way:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-death-valley-super-bloom-big-pictures-20160306-htmlstory.html

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=38796491&nid=1288&title=rare-death-valley-super-bloom-carpets-desert-with-color

http://www.trbimg.com/img-56dd1201/turbine/la-tr-super-bloom-death-valley-20160306-004

 

Got this pop-up, by the way:

 

The Majestic Yosemite Lodge

from $659.00

See best prices for your ideal room

Only $660! What a bargain! Anyways, for Death Valley, the out-of-park alternatives are at least an hour away in Beatty, Nevada, or, even further, Baker, CA.

With my last beau, we visited Mt. Rainier NP and stayed in Packwood WA. I wanted a bumper sticker that said "I packed wood in Packwood!".

[+ WilliamM]

Yes, I've visited Yellowstone a few times, and have always stayed in Gardiner or West Yellowstone, Montana (well, once in Jackson WY, but that was more of a trip to Grand Teton NP). Fortunately, some parks have reasonable access so that one can stay just outside and get in fairly quickly.

 

I asked my brother, Rick, last night by phone if people ever complained about housing in national parks to him. Because his park ranger job in Denali for 10 years was seasonal, he has worked at many parks in Texas and CA in the winter. And has worked at Yellowstone since the Clinton Administration.

 

Rick's response: "No, never." But, I would not read much into that. I had lunch with Rick in the park's restaurant in Denali. I remember saying "you must eat here often." Rick: "No, this is my first time."

[Guest]

I'm not sure why anyone would complain to a ranger of all people about the lack of accommodations in NP's. Everyone knows there's inadequate accommodations in these parks. The fact that these over-priced places sell out many months in advance, and that they sell out even though they charge outrageous amounts makes the fact plainly obvious. The NPS likes it that way. They obviously make good profits from the concessionaires. I suppose that if one were to complain to someone, one could write a bad review on Tripadvisor or Yelp, but no one with authority to make any changes cares about those reviews. There will still be people willing to pay over $600 for shabby hotel rooms in the park, and feel fortunate to having snagged the room at all. There's a reason that these hotels are run by Xanterra, Delaware North, Aramark, etc., rather than by reputable hotel chains. These concessionaires have no reputation to protect, and don't care if customers are upset that none of the profits are used to update the hotels. They have a guaranteed, protected customer base.

[bigvalboy]

I've never really worried about accommodations at National Parks. I've always preferred motor homes. Reservations for space are no more an issue than trying to book at a hotel. Even considering the sometimes steep space rent, fuel, and rental fees (should you decide) it still is far cheaper than paying hotel prices. This type of travel is clearly not for everyone, but for those that enjoy more freedom, and the desire to slow down a bit and stop and view the scenery along the way...it can be delightful.

 

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mga7bIv2j6E/UBXNfFQdcdI/AAAAAAAADss/U-6bXetGk_Q/s1600/DSC_0179.JPG

Edited March 10, 2016 by bigvalboy

[+ WilliamM]

http://www.oceanlight.com/log/img/07100803.jpg

I'm not sure why anyone would complain to a ranger of all people about the lack of accommodations in NP's. Everyone knows there's inadequate accommodations in these parks.

 

 

I only know this because Rick is my brother, and I have been in many groups with him seeing and talking about the wolves in Yellowstone:

 

People return again and again to see the wolves in Yellowstone. I have never had a group experience with him and tourists when Rick has not known several people in any group by name because they come back so often to Yellowstone. I get that people so dedicated are unlikely to be obsessed with lodging. But, it is still strange that nobody has ever complained in private conversations about the difficulty of finding a place to stay in the summer.

 

In the above photo Rick is looking for the wolves with another "wolf person," Lorrie.

 

Thanks, @bigvalboy for giving another point of view.

[+ WilliamM]

I'm not sure why anyone would complain to a ranger of all people about the lack of accommodations in NP's. Everyone knows there's inadequate accommodations in these parks. The fact that these over-priced places sell out many months in advance, and that they sell out even though they charge outrageous amounts makes the fact plainly obvious. The NPS likes it that way. They obviously make good profits from the concessionaires. I suppose that if one were to complain to someone, one could write a bad review on Tripadvisor or Yelp, but no one with authority to make any changes cares about those reviews. There will still be people willing to pay over $600 for shabby hotel rooms in the park, and feel fortunate to having snagged the room at all. There's a reason that these hotels are run by Xanterra, Delaware North, Aramark, etc., rather than by reputable hotel chains. These concessionaires have no reputation to protect, and don't care if customers are upset that none of the profits are used to update the hotels. They have a guaranteed, protected customer base.

 

Come on, Unicorn. I have never visited a U.S. National Park during the high season. I have always gone in May or Sept. I believe I have suggested this solution before in this very thread. The one except was driving through Yellowstone in July 1969, just before Armstrong walked on the moon. The experience was enough to tell me to never visit a U.S. park again in the high season

[Rod Hagen]

I've climbed in Yosemite many times during high season; it's crowded but also beautiful and therefore remarkable nevertheless.

[+ friendofsheila]

I think it would depend on what someone would consider "Crucial"...I missed the passing of a dear friend once. By the time they found me, I had missed the funeral as well. Could it have been helped? Obviously not, but it is something that I never quite got over.

 

Technology is raising our expectations of things like this.

 

Is that good? I'm not seeing it (except for the technology industry, whose profit numbers are climbing the more those expectations go up).

[bigvalboy]

Technology is raising our expectations of things like this.

 

Is that good? I'm not seeing it (except for the technology industry, whose profit numbers are climbing the more those expectations go up).

 

I say it's a good thing, but I understand that we disagree on this, so probably not worth the debate.

Edited March 12, 2016 by bigvalboy

[+ Charlie]

I have been to many national parks in this country, but have actually stayed within them only three times, in Zion in winter when the lodge was nearly empty and the price was a bargain, at the Grand Canyon as part of a deal including the train ride to the park from Williams, AZ, and at one of the cabins at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. The quality of the lodging never bothered me--I wasn't looking for luxury--but I did get horrible spider bites in the bed at Furnace Creek. Of course, I had the same spider experience at Cradle Mountain NP in Tasmania, so it is not just the US parks that have less than comfortable accommodations. (Accommodations at the Plitvice Lakes NP in Croatia were also pretty bad.)

 

I have mixed feelings about cellphone service. I have often been in parts of Joshua Tree NP where there is no service, and I wonder what I would do if the car broke down in an isolated area in the summer heat, since there are almost no facilities of any kind in the park. However, it would be hard to hide or camouflage a cell tower there, and it would certainly disturb the views more than it would in a place with high trees, like Sequoia NP.

[+ azdr0710]

[Guest]

Come on, Unicorn. I have never visited a U.S. National Park during the high season. I have always gone in May or Sept. I believe I have suggested this solution before in this very thread.

 

As I said before, many families have children, so they don't have the option of traveling in May or September. May can be particularly problematic for many National Parks, where the roads aren't cleared sometimes until well into June or even July. The road across Lassen Volcanic NP, for example, is rarely clear by June 1st unless there's been a severe drought. Even if it were, the trails would not be walkable. Same story for Glacier NP. Even in Yosemite, the Tioga Pass is usually closed in May unless it's a dry year, and, even then, most of the trails are closed due to snow at higher elevations.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

 

Here are the historic opening dates for the road across Glacier NP (rarely open in May)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/06/10/west-side-access-logan-pass-anticipated-thursday/71029298/

 

Historic opening times for Lassen NP

http://www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/winter-road-closures-and-spring-clearing-update.htm

 

Crater Lake NP is another one can't drive around in May most of the time.

Winter rules Crater Lake National Park. It can start closing seasonal roads in mid-October and last through June.... With winter delivering almost 44 feet of snow, hiking trails normally melt open starting in mid-June. Trails at the higher elevations, like Mt. Scott, can be snowbound until mid-July.

http://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/things2know.htm

[+ WilliamM]

As I said before, many families have children, so they don't have the option of traveling in May or September. May can be particularly problematic for many National Parks, where the roads aren't cleared sometimes until well into June or even July. The road across Lassen Volcanic NP, for example, is rarely clear by June 1st unless there's been a severe drought. Even if it were, the trails would not be walkable. Same story for Glacier NP. Even in Yosemite, the Tioga Pass is usually closed in May unless it's a dry year, and, even then, most of the trails are closed due to snow at higher elevations.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/tiogaopen.htm

 

I visited Yellowstone, Glacier and Denali in early Sept. and encountered none of the problems with weather you mention. There was some snow on the ground on the way to Yellowtone, but surprisingly none in Danali in Alaska.

 

Unicorn, I admit luck was on my side.

Edited March 12, 2016 by WilliamM

[samhexum]

it's the equally stupid hippo who's responsible for killing the most humans

http://synd.imgsrv.uclick.com/comics/cl/2019/cl190128.gif