Ever since Covid-19 struck, Americans looking to escape boredom and isolation have sought out open spaces at the country’s 63 national parks in historic droves.
Popular destinations like Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco and Acadia National Park in coastal Maine have become so crowded as a result that the National Park Service has had to introduce advance reservations for certain attractions.
Acadia, for example, drew 71.38% more visitors year-to-date as of August 2021 than last year, hosting some 802,926 parkgoers that month alone. In response, the Park Service instituted a reservation system for motorists wanting to drive up Cadillac Mountain.
The annual growth in visitors in not simply due to depressed travel last year, however. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, for example, had around 752,114 recreational visitors in June. While that was a predictable 61% jump from June 2020, it was also a 20% increase from June 2019, and an all-time high for that month.
Which parks to pack for? Travel website ParkSleepFly compiled lists of what it termed the most “underrated” U.S. national parks, by which it meant parks that attract fewer people but earn high visitor reviews.
