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  1. #1
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    Default This is disappointing.


    https://www.yahoo.com/travel/america-s-worst-national-parks-c1422474452206/photo-congaree-national-park-s-c-photo-1422474413121.html


    I wonder what the author would have said about the AT. It would have to top his list, what with no running water, accommodations open to the elements, and the absence of TP in the outhouses.

    Maybe I'm looking through glasses tinged with nostalgia but I don't remember ever hearing such a pessimistic view of our parks growing up.

    Or maybe it's just Yahoo, the only reason I ever even visit is so I can browse the absurdly hilarious comment section...

  2. #2

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    I saw that too. With a trip planned to stop at Bandlands and Wind Caves this summer on our way to Yellowstone it was a bit of bummer. Of course I don't put much stock in a yahoo article. I hate yahoo, but its my email so I hit the front page all too often...

  3. #3
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    Wow, the author of that article takes a very limited view of the role of national parks and the type of recreational opportunities they provide. But at the same time, that perspective is probably shared by the vast majority of the car centric population.
    HST/JMT August 2016
    TMB/Alps Sept 2015
    PCT Mile 0-857 - Apr/May 2015
    Foothills Trail Feb 2015
    Colorado Trail Aug 2014
    AT: Rockfish Gap to Boiling Springs 2014
    John Muir Trail Aug/Sept 2013

  4. #4

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    I have been to 3 out of the 5 on this list and enjoyed them all.

  5. #5

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    That was so funny, I was laughing out load. Especially about Wind Cave, South Dakota.

    Quote: Only in South Dakota would they make this into a national park. Visitors are told to be on the lookout for prairie dogs in the area, so you can savor the thrill of watching these fat dirt squirrels shuffle around.

    Don't let that writer near the AT!

  6. #6
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    Gates of the Arctic NP is on his list ... this guy must be the biggest idiot around!

    The Gates is something else. We've been there twice, and try to time it for the August caribou migration. We plan on doing the AT this year, but in 2016 or 2017 we'll be going back to the Gates for a multi-week trip. It's truly a special place & experience. If you want to feel small & insignificant (while seeing great wildlife), the Gates is the place for you!

  7. #7

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    He wants Gates of the Artic to have roads and trails.

  8. #8
    Registered User Tuckahoe's Avatar
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    Yeah I think that some of yall are way too serious, especially as this was written tongue and cheek. I was laughing pretty good.
    igne et ferrum est potentas
    "In the beginning, all America was Virginia." -​William Byrd

  9. #9
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    The article is instructive in that it probably carries the viewpoint of millions of people who experience parks only by automobile. We may ridicule people like that but they far outnumber us and, to a great extent, determine funding for the national park system and wilderness areas.
    HST/JMT August 2016
    TMB/Alps Sept 2015
    PCT Mile 0-857 - Apr/May 2015
    Foothills Trail Feb 2015
    Colorado Trail Aug 2014
    AT: Rockfish Gap to Boiling Springs 2014
    John Muir Trail Aug/Sept 2013

  10. #10

    Default

    I have been to the badlands.

    It looks like a lot of erosion, that goes on forever.

    Even driving thru, as a passenger, I thought do I have enough water?

  11. #11

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    To be fair, the article is titled 'Nation's Worst National Parks' and not an editoral on National Parks in general. In fact, the author lets us know that its partly tongue-in-cheek by saying, "It’s much more fun to hate on things."
    --

    Hike Safe.

  12. #12
    Registered User johnnybgood's Avatar
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    This my friends is what they call "the glass is half empty" philosophy . While the comments may be accurate about Congaree, the only one of these National Parks I've visited, it has rewards for those who seek to enjoy nature without the hordes of tourists that overrun other National Parks during peak season.

    Yes, the Mosquitos can be bad during the hot humid South Carolina summers. Here's an idea; go during the cooler months and not have to contend with the blood suckers.

    The author succeeded in what he wanted to accomplish, to find something to hate on about our National Parks. We're not buying into his negativity.
    Getting lost is a way to find yourself.

  13. #13
    Registered User Kevin108's Avatar
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    I thought the article was really funny! It was sort of written from the perspective of someone going outside for the first time.

    And not all parks are equal. I usually cross over into NC for my overnight stays. Local VA parks charge $20 for primitive sites. I've stayed in hotel rooms for not much more. NC charged $10, which seemed ridiculously fair in comparison, plus their parks have fewer sites so you have more privacy.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by sympathetic joy View Post
    To be fair, the article is titled 'Nation's Worst National Parks' and not an editoral on National Parks in general. In fact, the author lets us know that its partly tongue-in-cheek by saying, "It’s much more fun to hate on things."

    Very much agree! This was a funny article, written to amuse, not to actually discourage anybody from visiting the parks.

  15. #15
    Registered User johnnybgood's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    Very much agree! This was a funny article, written to amuse, not to actually discourage anybody from visiting the parks.
    I guess you're right. There is humor (tic) rereading the article I didn't see at first glance.
    Getting lost is a way to find yourself.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by illabelle View Post
    Very much agree! This was a funny article, written to amuse, not to actually discourage anybody from visiting the parks.
    I will admit I didn't even notice the first part. Never scrolled down, just flipped through the various parks he wrote about. To be honest I only posted it because I was curious what he would have said about our long distance trails.

  17. #17
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    Gah, what a dope. I really like Congaree, and the Badlands were one of the coolest places I have ever seen. Death Valley is on my short list to see.

    This is just an article designed to draw clicks for their advertisers. Total crapola.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  18. #18
    Registered User greatbahen's Avatar
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    I was a ranger at Congaree for two years and I got a kick out of this article. Congaree is an amazing and beautiful place, but it is not a visitor friendly park and that was one of my main issues with the place while I was there. There are hardly any trails, the camping is extremely limited, and they offer no services other than a restroom. I sent this article to some friends who still work or volunteer there asking them to forward the article to the superintendent; hopefully this will be a wake up call in how the park is managed.

  19. #19
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DandT40 View Post
    I saw that too. With a trip planned to stop at Bandlands and Wind Caves this summer on our way to Yellowstone it was a bit of bummer. Of course I don't put much stock in a yahoo article. I hate yahoo, but its my email so I hit the front page all too often...
    We did that trip many years ago when the kids were young. I did get "attacked" by a prairie dog at Custer St Park (which is awesome, BTW).

  20. #20

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    I like places not developed!

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