The revolution is transit plans that aim to replace cars altogether in the parks' most congested areas, where just getting to a campground can be more daunting than navigating rush hour. That's already the case at Zion National Park in southern Utah, where the route through Zion Canyon to the historic Zion Lodge is restricted to buses, hiking, and biking. The system was imposed after years of surging visitation caused environmental damage and safety concerns. Rangers on the buses deliver natural-history talks and, proponents say, give visitors a more personal connection to the park. Of course, in a country where the car is a national symbol of independence, not everyone is gung-ho about the trend.
Some visitors are loath to leave their cars behind.
But everyone agrees the current park infrastructure needs attention. A recent assessment rated 40 percent of the 8,000 miles of roads within the park system as poor to fair. While the budget increase is welcome, planners would like to see more funding directed toward fixing chronic congestion problems instead of patching potholes and rebuilding highways. In the coming weeks, federal officials plan to release findings that evaluate US park transportation needs. The Park Service expects overall visitation to set another record in 2001, reaching almost 300 million.