America’s outdoor permits are not solving overcrowding
Controlling access to fragile areas of natural beauty is not as simple as it sounds
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK is almost always brimming with visitors. For two weeks each February, however, the crowd intensifies. For just a few minutes each day, the setting sun lines up with Horsetail Fall, lighting the waterfall so that it appears to be lava. “Firefall” has become a tourist spectacle: it drew over 2,000 visitors on a single day. Big crowds have big drawbacks, though, risking environmental degradation, unsafe conditions and wildlife disruption.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Firefall and footfall”
United States February 26th 2022
- How states are using, and misusing, funds from the American Rescue Plan
- New York’s new governor is proving to be adept at the power game
- America’s outdoor permits are not solving overcrowding
- Child marriage in America has fallen sharply—but not far enough
- Pushback at cancel culture is leading to new educational initiatives
- Deploying reality against Putin
From the February 26th 2022 edition
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