National parks saw record-breaking spending in gateway communities last year, bringing in a total of $5 billion dollars in our region.
Hot spots were in Utah ($1.9 billion), Arizona ($1.2 billion) and Wyoming ($1.1 billion). But those dollars can come with a catch.
“We definitely feel the burden and the impact of those numbers,” said Crista Valentino, who leads the travel and tourism board in Jackson, Wyoming, near Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
National parks have limited places to sleep and eat, so people spill over to communities like Jackson — or Springdale, Utah and Flagstaff, Arizona, which are located near Zion and Grand Canyon national parks, respectively.
Valentino said those dollars from tourists do pay for services and help keep the local economy running, but there’s also major stresses on things like infrastructure.
“Along with that billion dollars, come the people who are spending it, come those visitors, come those cars on the road and the people who are at the restaurants,” she said.
John Garder with the National Park Conservation Association said there’s a disconnect between how much visitors are spending and what Washington is doing to accommodate the crowds.
“All of these millions of visitors are expecting their parks to be properly maintained and staffed,” Garder said. “But unfortunately, Congress hasn't made the necessary investments to upkeep them and honor that pledge to the American people.”
In Grand Canyon, a main water pipe recently broke over Labor Day weekend, closing down hotels.
Garder said this kind of infrastructure will keep deteriorating, unless more money is put into repair projects and staffing.
“Our parks are now facing situations where they are scrambling to accommodate all of these visitors with minimal staffing,” he said.
Last year, there were less than 1,200 rangers nationwide, which is nearly 50% fewer than there were back in 2010.
The National Park Conservation Alliance is calling on Congress to re-up the Great American Outdoors Act. Since 2020, that act has funded maintenance projects in national parks, but it’s set to end in 2025.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
