A fierce parking scramble in one of America’s most exclusive mountain destinations is pushing tired hikers out of bed before sunrise, all in hopes of claiming a spot at a popular Grand Teton trailhead.
At Lupine Meadows Trailhead in northwestern Wyoming, cars can begin overflowing onto grassy road shoulders by 7.30am, creating bottlenecks along narrow one-lane roads that can stretch for as much as a mile in both directions.
The problem, however, is not limited to one trailhead. Officials say parking pressure is being felt across Grand Teton National Park and in nearby Jackson, Wilson and Teton Village, all in Teton County — a community with a per-capita income of roughly $533,000, making it the wealthiest county in the US by that measure.
On busy mornings, lines of vehicles waiting to enter the park can form before 7am. As spaces vanish, some hikers have been leaving cars in illegal no-parking areas, at times trapping other drivers and preventing them from getting out.
Park officials are increasingly alarmed, warning that the congestion is more than an inconvenience because poorly parked vehicles can prevent emergency crews from reaching trailheads quickly.
Law enforcement officers have responded by issuing tickets and, in the most serious cases, towing vehicles, Teton Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
‘This year, we’re really feeling something different,’ Jenkins told the outlet. ‘We’re seeing a substantial increase in the number of people parking in no parking zones, blocking the lane of traffic, blocking people in.’
Grand Teton’s year-round appeal continues to fuel the crush. Summer draws visitors to destinations including Jenny Lake, Delta Lake and Death Canyon, while winter brings skiers to Jackson Hole and Snow King Mountain resorts, helping attract millions of tourists to the region each year.
Throngs of tourists visiting Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming are causing lots to fill up as early as 7am. Cars are pictured driving by a full parking lot sign in the park
The situation has led to terrible parking etiquette and cars parking on shoulders for up to a mile outside popular trailheads
Park officials have said cars are blocking roads, stopping people from leaving and potentially hindering emergency vehicles
Grand Teton National Park and mountain range are located in Teton County, which is the wealthiest county in the US
And visitation to the park has grown steadily over the past decade, while the use of trailheads in the region has increased even more dramatically.
Grand Teton National Park experienced a 4.5 per cent increase in visitor numbers in June and July of this year compared with the same period in 2017, and trail use in the park soared by 18 per cent over the same time frame.
The surge has been driven by a post-pandemic interest in reconnecting with the outdoors, National Parks Conservation Association spokesman Kati Schmidt told JH News & Guide.
Meanwhile, viral videos on social media have showcased the park’s small lots filling up shortly after sunrise, advising people to arrive as early as possible if they want to secure spots close to popular trailheads.
That has driven peak visitation levels from 9am or 10am closer to 8am, according to data from traffic counters and revenue collection at entrance stations, Teton Park Superintendent Jenkins told JH News & Guide.
Mr Jenkins said he believes the trend of earlier visitation is here to stay. ‘This is our future. This is not a one-year blip,’ he said.
But solving the issue of parking etiquette and car overcrowding is not expected to be easy.
National Parks are protected land, and simply building bigger parking lots would damage the environment and ecosystem and take from the natural splendor that draws visitors in the first place.
Use of Teton Park’s trailheads has grown tremendously over the past decade, driven by a post-pandemic interest in reconnecting with nature
Peak visitation times have gone from 9am or 10am closer to 8am in Teton Park , according to data from traffic counters and revenue collection at entrance stations
Park officials have been encouraging tourists to explore less popular areas of the park and arrive later in the day
Some parks use shuttle systems to alleviate traffic, but that solution appears ill-fitted for Teton Park, as parking is already so limited and overcrowded that there would be no obvious places for shuttles to pick up and drop off passengers.
Park officials have been studying visitor numbers and patterns to work on a solution, but for now, the strategy has been to promote spreading out visitation.
Tourists have been encouraged to arrive at trailheads in the late afternoon and early evening, and to explore less popular areas of the park.
‘Grand Teton is so much bigger than just Jenny Lake, Lupine and the LSR,’ Jenkins told JH News & Guide.
‘There are many places where people can go where there is capacity – visitors as well as people from the local community.’
