THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF LAKE TAHOE NEWS, WHICH WAS OPERATIONAL FROM 2009-2018. IT IS FREELY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH. THE WEBSITE IS NO LONGER UPDATED WITH NEW ARTICLES.

Average age of national park visitors on the rise


By Gabe Gutierrez, NBC News

ESTES PARK, Colo. — At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, rangers are seeing more than green this spring. They’re also noticing a little more gray.

The average visitor to national parks is getting older.

Cyclist John O’Malley, 61, of Summit County, Colo., has enjoyed the trails for almost half a century.

“You do get close to nature,” Malley said.

But apparently, not everyone shares that fondness anymore.

Back in 1996, at Death Valley National Park, almost a third of visitors were in their 20s. But in the last few years, that number has dropped to just 11 percent at Yosemite and six percent at Yellowstone, according to a University of Idaho analysis of Park Service attendance figures.

At Rocky Mountain National Park, the average age of visitors has risen to 46.

“Right now, we see a lot of youth not coming to the parks,” said Larry Frederick, a park ranger for more than 15 years who has noticed the changing demographics. “I think there a lot of distractions right now for young people.”

Frederick said the average age of visitors used to be late 20s and early 30s.

Read the whole story

About author

This article was written by admin