Our National Parks: Why Such Poor Camping Facilities?
Today, the NPS's "Category I" (or main goal) is the preservation, restoration and enhancement of our National Parks wonders. Visitor use is now relegated to a "Category II goal. Your and my park usage is considered as necessary "trade-offs" to protecting the area's resources! As such, all visitors' facilities (such as campground amenities) must not harm or infringe upon the surrounding environment. This is the NPS's current position, and up to a point, I believe it to be the right approach. However, can't there be a few specific exceptions to this policy?
Our National Park campgrounds and facilities are primitive to say the least. The campsites are small and unleveled. Water outlets are few and far between-with tent areas having fewer outlets still. Campground restrooms are often old with poor plumbing and no hot water. There are no showers (period) available in some of our largest National Parks (i.e.: Olympic National Park). RV dump stations are often locked-up in the off season, in disrepair or not available at all. There are few playgrounds for kids and limited facilities for washing dishes or dumping gray water. Campground roads are too narrow and are actually falling apart from over use and disrepair. Also, campgrounds are over-crowded, and by the end of the summer camping season, ground vegetation and young trees have been trampled into the ground. Picnic tables and fire-rings are often falling apart-or absent.
Most park visitors are, in fact, campers. Not many of us can afford a room at the magnificent lodges, at a cost of over $100 a night ($860 plus tax per night at Yosemite's Ahwahee Hotel!) Our National Park campgrounds need to be refurbished-badly! The NPS maintains that water and sewer lines cannot be installed because of the possible damage to the environment. My question is how natural is a campground's area environment? With thousands of campers running over the campground for months each year, it is impossible to
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