The National Parks have been around since 1872, and many are starting to see the impacts of overcrowding. Trail erosion, habitat displacement, and unhappy visitors are just a few examples of how overcrowding is affecting National Parks, and the number of visitors is not decreasing. Humans’ love for the outdoors has continued to grow throughout the years, and the National Parks provide a variety of recreational activities to indulge in. While going to a National Park might seem like the perfect way to escape from busy city life, the overcrowding has led to the threatening of wildlife and destruction of their habitats. A lot of parks used to have an off-season where they would have fewer visitors, but the past few years have seen steady visitation numbers throughout the seasons (Reynolds, 2021). Overcrowding in National Parks has become a big issue and the implications of trail erosion, wildlife disruption, and overcrowding need to be addressed.

The function of trails is to protect the vegetation by concentrating activity on a hardened tread, provide an area for recreation that also has scenic views, and manage recreation use by providing a network of transportation (Leung, Marion, 1996). The erosion of trails can affect the drainage, deposition of soil, and can lead to the introduction of invasive vegetation (Leung, Marion, 1996). Trail widening also occurs when hikers try to avoid mud or other obstacles covering the trail (Leung, Marion, 1996). Trial erosion can cause visitors to have negative experiences due to safety concerns or by causing a disappointing perception of naturalness (Leung, Marion, 1996). Visitors have resorted to making their own trails which destroys the surrounding vegetation, and it takes years to grow back (Timmons, 2023).  Erosion in National Parks is a big issue and regulations need to be enforced before there are long-term effects. 

Wildlife that has become used to people will approach them for food and visitors often mistake the wildlife as being tame (Abrams, et al, 2019). Humans have caused harassment to animals including disturbance, displacement, exertion, and sometimes death (Bath, Enck, 2023). The removal of wood and sticks to use for firewood affects the habitats of some animals that use them as shelter, and birds that build their nests on the edges of cliffs are being disturbed by rock climbers (Bath, Enck, 2023). Busy roads in the National Parks also pose a threat to wildlife, and in Canada, deer and moose are sometimes killed more by cars than hunters (Bath, Enck, 2023). The wildlife in National Parks should be protected but are instead facing constant danger from visitors.

Waste management in National Parks is another issue; each year there are 100 million pounds of waste generated (Mateer, Taff, & Miller, et al, 2020). The tallest mountain in North America is located in Denali National Park, Alaska, and fecal contamination has become a big issue there (Goodwin, Loso, Braun, 2018). Every year there are 1000 people that try to climb the mountain, and up until 2001 all of the waste on the mountain was disposed of onto the glacier (Goodwin, Loso, Braun, 2018). Since 1970 there have been more than 34,000 people on the mountain which has resulted in 66 metric tons of feces, and most of this waste is transported to the rivers when it melts (Goodwin, Loso, Braun, 2018). The amount of waste on the mountain is leading to water contamination and is affecting the health of the climbers, so changes need to be made in order to protect the environment and visitors. 

It was determined by the NPS in the 1960s that when there is a large number of people at the park, the environment is threatened and so is the visitor's experience (Manning, 2002). Carrying capacity is a solution that can be implemented to help limit the amount of visitors at the National Parks and protect the environment. Carrying capacity can be described as how much public use can occur in a National Park, without causing ecological disruption(Manning, 2002). It can be difficult to decide how much crowding is acceptable and when carrying capacity is needed (Manning, 2002). Another way for trails  to handle recreational use would be to avoid areas that are susceptible to damage, and choose areas with soil that can withstand the amount of usage (Leung, Marion, 1996). Carrying capacity and well-thought-out trail locations are two ways that overcrowding can be addressed, and they can be used in National Parks.