“You cannot personally make sure every visitor has a great time… but you can make sure at least one visitor has a great experience.”
It is the moment every park leader prepares for all winter long. The busy summer season has officially arrived. All those maintenance projects you hoped to finish are either done, or they are officially on hold because the crowds are showing up. Retired director of South Carolina State Parks, Phil Gaines, is no stranger to managing the visitor experience when crowds reach capacity.
For years, the goal in park management was to pack people in. That mean there may be car parked on the shoulders, every campsite was to be filled, and to never turn anyone away. Today, the pendulum has swung. Parks are more popular than ever. However, crowding drastically changes the experience for both the land and the people visiting. When a hiker spends their day stuck on a bottlenecked trail, or a park ranger spends their entire weekend acting as a traffic cop, the core mission gets lost.
There is no single magic bullet. Solutions are out there such as reservation systems or shuttle loops can ease vehicle congestion. Unfortunately even those often create unintended consequences like over-crowding the trailheads.
The key to surviving the busy months is observation and pacing. We must take detailed notes on physical and social carrying capacities, change how we educate the public on off-the-beaten-path locations, and intentionally protect our staff from burnout.
As a leader, you cannot personally guarantee a perfect trip for 40,000 people a day. But you can challenge yourself and your team to stop, slow down, and make a meaningful connection with at least one visitor every single day.
Resources
https://parkleaders.com/about/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/theparkleaders/
Episode Chapters
[03:36] Shifting from high attendance to quality visitor experiences
[05:33] Complexities of social carrying capacities explored
[08:50] Relying on technology and reservation systems
[10:22] Zion crowding and alternative options
[13:45] Addressing transportation infrastructure and shuttle loops
[16:20] Preventing staff burnout and managing morale
[19:13] Unintended consequences of park management choices