As the country slowly starts to reopen, experts predict that travelers will seek outdoor spaces and experiences where social distancing is possible like national parks. With this in mind, travel advisors are applauding the fact that these beloved swaths of nature are starting to reopen.
Yellowstone National Park, set on 3,472 square miles in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, will begin a gradual reopening on May 18. Closed to visitors since March 24, it’s undergoing a phased reopening.
Phase one is when public access to roads, trails, and boardwalks opens. Limited essential services like gas stations and certain restrooms will also reopen. Phase two, which will likely extend through June, at a minimum, will see the opening of campgrounds, boating and fishing, takeout food service, and the allowance of backcountry permits.
Xanterra Travel Collection will open visitor cabins for overnight accommodations at multiple sites throughout the park, including Old Faithful, Lake, and Mammoth. An addendum to their operating plan will outline mitigation plans for cleaning, check-in, and other operations associated with cabin rentals.
Once states lift large-gathering restrictions, phase three will go into effect, which will see the opening of hotels, full-service dining, commercial tour buses, and more.
Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona will be partially reopening as well. Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim South Entrance reopens May 15-18.
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and Zion National Park in Utah are among other National Park Service sites that have recently announced plans to reopen in stages. Other parks that are slowly reopening include Olympic National Park in Washington that began a phased reopening on May 5; Acadia National Park in Maine that plans to reopen park campgrounds on June 15; Zion Canyon in Utah that plans to partially reopen for day use beginning May 13; Rocky Mountain National Park that begins a phased reopening on May 27. Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopened select roads, trails, and picnic areas on May 9.
To read more about how regional vacations will flourish as stay-in-place orders are lifted, click here for a story that appears in the current issue of Recommend. For more insight into what the future looks like post-COVID-19, visit #AmazingDaysAhead.
