Middle American Summer Rush: National Parks Hit Record Crowds and Campfire Crises

This summer, the great American outdoors is busier than ever and park rangers are starting to feel the burn, literally.

From Yellowstone to Zion, national parks across the U.S. are experiencing historic attendance levels. The post pandemic travel boom, combined with high gas prices keeping families closer to home, has turned iconic nature spots into chaotic hubs of human activity. Campgrounds are packed weeks in advance, trash bins are overflowing, and hiking trails are now traffic zones.

But the most dangerous problem? Campfires.

With heatwaves and droughts hitting the West and Midwest, fire danger is sky-high. Rangers report a sharp rise in illegal campfires, and multiple small blazes have already sparked evacuations. In Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, one fire began from unattended embers left by tourists forcing helicopters and emergency crews into action.

Local officials are pleading with visitors to respect fire bans, but enforcement is limited. Some rural counties don’t even have the staff to patrol their own forests.

“We love that people are reconnecting with nature,” one park ranger told us. “But we weren’t prepared for it to happen all at once and in the middle of a fire crisis.”

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