Rocky Mountain National Park will no longer use the reservation system implemeted last year amid the ongoing coronaviru pandemic.
The park first introduced a timed reservation system last summer to uphold a 60% capacity limit for cars and vehicles, but officials say they are no longer planning carry over the requirements into 2021. Park officials will, however, continue to carry out social distancing restrictions to avoid overcrowding, the Denver Post reported.
Rocky Mountain National Park is ditching the timed reservation system introduced in 2021.
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“We will learn from the temporary timed-entry permit system last year and incorporate lessons learned as we move forward with our visitor use management planning efforts,” park spokesperson Kyle Patterson said in a statement.
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Crowding at the park has been an ongoing issue long before the pandemic. There were 4.67 million visitors to the park in 2019, up 58% from 2.95 million in 2010.
When the pandemic hit, along with wildfires, Rocky Mountain National Park ramped up its crowd control efforts, resulting in 31% fewer visits from 2019 through November, according to the most recent statistics cited by the Associated Press.
The park may reconsider timed entry in the future, the Post added. Officials with Rocky Mountain National Park added that officials will consider public opinion if there are ever plans to institute a permanent reservation system.
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The pandemic, meanwhile, has brought on a surge in attendance to national parks, which provide a socially distanced outdoor escape for millions of Americans amid the pandemic.
The Associated Press Contributed to this report.
