Yosemite remains open to visitors during the shutdown, and crowds of visitors have been driving into the park to take advantage of free admission.
I’m always glad to see folks taking advantage of the great outdoors, especially state and national parks. But I’m betting that the caliber of visitors using the shutdown to gain free admittance is atypical of what our parks normally experience and unlikely a good thing.
It’s upsetting to hear of loose dogs harassing wildlife, trash and fecal matter accumulating amid general disrespect for our outdoor treasures. tRump does not give a F’k since he and his crime family have probably never set foot on a dirt trail let alone a national park.
It’s costing the parks $400,000 per day, and they really need the money.
Just wait for the bill for all the cleanup costs after this mess is over… Not just the garbage, but the likely irreparable damage in some locations to the natural wonders by people tromping all over the place without any oversight.
The GOP goal in a microcosm.
But I’m betting that the caliber of visitors using the shutdown to gain
free admittance is atypical of what our parks normally experience and
unlikely a good thing.
omg I have tried backpacking in wilderness areas (usually forest service) and the clientele definitely send me right back to the national parks (backcountry) every time…
I’ve always backpacked in areas that require more effort than most outdoor miscreants are willing to expend. I’m fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest and have many good options that are too difficult for the lazy.
Good luck to you!
I hike and snowshoe in the National Forests and see accidents waiting to happen all the time. It really is shocking how many people go out day hiking without water, snacks/food -basically without the ten essentials. I’ve seen folks on rocky steep trails in flip flops. The most amusing was a mom with a stroller. And don’t even get me started about people who snow shoe without gloves, hats, or water. Arghhhh!
@sooner -I also live in the Pacific NW
PNW, best hiking/backpacking and for me it was not usually national parks. You saw way more people in the NP’s then Nat. Forests. I miss that part of the NW. How’s the weather besides rainy?
I don’t know if it’s changed much but a couple of decades ago the annual death rate at Yosemite was about 25 people per year (including some heart attacks). It’s incredible beautiful and a lot more dangerous than it looks. Having Rangers around is not a luxury.
I remember seeing a woman at Paradise at Rainer with high heels (not Melania heels) but still doing the tourist loop.
My daughter encountered a group at Mt Rainier this past summer wanting directions to the summit of Mt Rainier. Seriously, they thought it was a stroll to the top.
I was at the Grand Canyon 5 years ago and missed seeing someone fall/jump over the edge by 5 minutes where all the hotels are. All the rescue/ climbers came but there was no way he made it falling onto another ledge. It really freaked me out and made me not want to go back.
How about middle shade of gray. And wet.
I’ll tell you one of my favorite NW hikes if you promise not to tell anyone and it is at Rainer, out of Sunrise, Burroughs Mountain 1,2,and 3. You get astounding views of Rainier and can watch climbers going up to the top. Probably did that one 15 times.
@sooner
@leftcoaster
And probably wearing tennis shoes and cotton 
I see this all the time.
Darwin works his magic in many ways, some more opaque than others. Years ago I and three friends were returning from a night on Rainier’s summit and came across a rescue attempt below Camp Muir. A woman and her daughter had broken though an ice bridge and fallen into the stream that runs underneath the snow pack. It was the most hopeless situation I’ve ever encountered. Not easy to tell her family that there is nothing that can be done and walk on.
That’s an argument to let Darwin make some decisions… We’d have substantially fewer Trump supporters if we just let Darwin take charge more often.
Hmmm. I will note this. One of my favorites -also throngs of others love it- is Lake 22 off Mountain Loop. It is fairly easy and I try to do it at least once a year -preferably in the fall. I hiked it in late May a few years back. Snow was still up at the lake and we had to clear it off the boardwalk to sit and eat lunch. We watched small avalanches on the upper reaches of Pilchuck - triggered by the sun. We were in no danger but wow it was amazing.
Night on the summit sounds cold. Never wanted to go all the way up, guess I like looking at plants and other distractions along the way.
Although I’m an armchair climber of lots of the high peaks.
A friend of mine has had good experience in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area.
He learned on the first trip to make sure to have USGS top maps. 
(he had other topo maps for some reason which were Not Helpful).
Cc @sooner, @leftcoaster