Visited the Grand Canyon last month and couldnt believe how crowded it was

I drove out to the South Rim on a random Tuesday in October thinking itd be quiet. There were like 300 people just at Mather Point at 9am, and I saw someone taking a selfie with a tripod almost knock over a kid. I get that its a famous spot but does anyone else feel like national parks are getting way too packed these days?

2 comments

2 Comments

flores.mark14d ago

Wait, dude was really blasting music from his truck at the Grand Canyon? Some people have zero awareness of where they're at, that's wild. I guess the chaos you're describing makes perfect sense when money's the main priority over the actual experience. Park service needs to figure out a real shuttle system there or it's just gonna get worse every year.

reese_lee14d ago

...and what gets me is the parking lot situation. You drive two hours to get there, finally find a spot a mile away, then you're walking past like fifty empty buses that could've brought people from a shuttle lot. They've got that whole system set up in places like Zion where you park at the visitor center and ride in, but at the Grand Canyon it's just free for all chaos. I think they keep it that way on purpose so more people visit the gift shops and restaurants right at the rim, but it kills the whole experience when you're fighting for a curb spot next to a dude blasting music from his truck.