National Parks Are 'Overcrowded' Amidst Pandemic...
Southeast Utah is among the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S. with two national parks and millions of undeveloped acres.
But visitors are increasingly spending more time sitting in their cars as they wait to access the vast outdoors.
“Anywhere you go, there’s going to be a line,” said Libby Preslock, who on a recent Thursday arrived at Arches National Park at 9 a.m. only to find that it was full and signs encouraged visitors to come back in three to five hours. She then headed to the area’s other national park, Canyonlands, where she waited about half an hour to get inside.
With its natural stone arches, sandstone fins and towering red rock formations, Arches attracted about 194,000 people in April, up 15% from April 2019. It was closed in April 2020 due to the pandemic...
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