from July/August 2005
|
features_global.html
|
 |
 |
Destination Scorecard: National Parks
|
Zion National Park
UTAH (Score: 68)
"The lodge is beautiful and the canyon spectacular." Most panelists concurred but split on Zion's gateway region, precluding a top score. The park's relationship with the adjacent town of Springdale received much praise—"outstanding example of a gateway that tries to be part of the park experience"—as did the free propane shuttle buses into the park. But a minority disagreed. One called Springdale "horrible." Combine that with the bus ride and the experience can "feel more like Disneyland than a national park."
10. Death Valley National Park
CALIFORNIA (Score: 67)
"One of the most dramatic places in America." Reviewers deemed the ecology sound but at risk from soaring Las Vegas--based visitation, off-road vehicles, and bright lighting near the park. "Preserving the night sky should be a priority. Looking at the stars on a clear desert night is worth the trek to Death Valley."
11. Antietam National Battlefield
MARYLAND (Score: 66)
"An overlooked treasure!" The park gets high marks for histori-cal interpretation, management, and sense of place. Its main problem? "Surburban encroachment is engulfing it." Gateways seem to be fighting back, though. "Sharpsburg, Boonsboro, and Shepherdstown are special in their preservation efforts."
Glacier National Park
MONTANA (Score: 66)
Glacier draws praise for scenery, ecological integrity, and its historic open-top red buses. Needed restoration has begun for the Depression-era lodge buildings and the oft-crowded, crumbling Going-to-the-Sun Road. Typically, panelists fret about global warming: "What will Glacier be called when there are no longer any glaciers?" Also,"the area around the park needs sprucing up."
12. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
COLORADO (Score: 65)
Vistas let you "see simultaneously the snowcapped Colorado peaks and hot deserts below" in this uncrowded, out-of-the-way park. "Land, air, and water unspoiled." Well, maybe not water for long: Panelists sharply criticize federal plans to cede Gunnison River water rights for development use, damaging canyon ecology.
Bryce Canyon National Park
UTAH (Score: 65)
Great hiking and geology in the park—"still a magical fairyland"—but several reviewers dislike tacky gateway towns: "junky, overstressed, and unappealing for many miles." Others cite a park/locals disconnect, with tourism jobs few and jobholders "not very concerned about park environment."
North Cascades National Park
WASHINGTON (Score: 65)
This lightly visited park "needs a better trail network." Scenery and wildlife look fine, but "the quality of some gateway settlements was disturbing. I have memories of concrete."
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (Score: 65)
A "stunning, wild, and beautiful" but fragmented park scattered along the edge of Vancouver Island, Pacific Rim seeks cultural integrity in part by employing staff from local native communities. Challenges include rising visitation and new development, plus clear-cut logging areas nearby.
13. Acadia National Park
MAINE (Score: 64)
Coastal beauty and helpful local groups vie with summer crowding and tacky commerce in the otherwise attractive gateway of Bar Harbor. Adds a local panelist: "The increase in PFAs (People From Away) is eroding social integrity"—lobstermen can't afford to live on the coast.
Petrified Forest National Park
ARIZONA (Score: 64)
In an exemplary effort, locals and the Park Service cooperated to more than double the size of this fairly healthy park. The biggest problem, despite Herculean efforts by park staff, "continues to be theft of petrified wood."
14. Joshua Tree National Park
CALIFORNIA (Score: 63)
"I found peace at Joshua Tree." "Truly undiscovered backcountry." The park's popularity with rock climbers draws mixed reviews, and panelists criticize smog from L.A., growing weekend crowds, and new houses and plans for a huge landfill next door.
Mesa Verde National Park
COLORADO (Score: 63)
Panelists disagree on Mesa Verde's condition, from "well-managed" and "marvelous interpretive walks" to "serious wildfire problems and damage; archaeological heritage in danger; reduced aesthetic appeal." The gateway, Cortez, "has a true Western feel."
Mount Rainier National Park
WASHINGTON (Score: 63)
This "attractive, well-preserved and stewarded area" has support from local communities. Reviewer praise for the rugged park's good ecological quality mixed with bitter remarks about traffic jams in both summer and winter.
|
