03-28-2020, 11:45 AM
(03-28-2020, 07:06 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: There are areas in the park that are so overcrowded that following suggested social distancing guidelines is impossible. Take, for instance, one of the most popular trails in SNP which is the hike up Old Rag Mountain. There were so many cars around that trailhead the other day they had to shut down the road because of traffic concerns. All those people hiking on that trail were coming in close contact with others because the trail is not wide enough to support the kind of distance recommended by the CDC. In addition to that, the high numbers overtaxes not just the man made infrastructure but can damage the ecosystem. This is a hot topic in the outdoors community as we see lots of wild and beautiful places nearly destroyed because of high levels of foot traffic which, until recently, we just blamed on the Instagram culture as people went out and took pictures in ways that damaged wildlife.
The main thing I have is that people need to be smart and use common sense. You see a lot of cars at a trail head, move on to a different spot. If people continue to behave in this manner then the parks will be shut down.
Thanks for the explanation so now I understand.