All national forests are closed in California. Skiers, hikers, mountain bikers, boaters and paddleboarders are all a forlorn lot
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
Wildfires in the U.S. have played spoilsport for those planning outdoor adventures.
More than 24,000 camping reservations, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, rafting and biking adventures have been scrapped as U.S. wildfires have scorched nearly 7,900 square miles (20,460 square kilometers) this year in forests, chaparral and grasslands, according to data kept by Recreation.gov. All national forests are closed in California. Skiers, hikers, mountain bikers, boaters and paddleboarders are all a forlorn lot.
The Sierra Nevada fire closed a 160-mile (257-kilometer) stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail north of Lake Tahoe, blanketing the region in thick smoke. So some wanted to go canoeing on the Minnesota-Canada border, lightning-sparked fires forced the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Lassen Volcanic National Park also is closed because of the Dixie Fire, the Independent reported.
In June, fires closed several national forests in Arizona, derailing several plans.
“Limited visitation seasons at northern parks like Glacier, as well as competitive reservations at popular parks like Yosemite, could lead campers to brave the smoky conditions rather than forego a trip altogether,” a study said
“We were really looking forward to a week in nature to kind of disconnect,” moaned a despondent traveller, in search of serenity after being cooped up during the coronavirus pandemic. Tickets to Mount Whitney, post winning a permit and training for the arduous hike were cancelled in June when a fire broke out near the main trailhead in the Inyo National Forest. In addition to forest and park closures, the pall of smoke has created a respiratory hazard for millions nationwide. The outfitter, as a result, cancelled the trip.
Resources for the Future, an independent nonprofit research institution, suggested campers were less likely to pull out of popular destinations like Glacier National Park in Montana or Yosemite National Park in California.
“Limited visitation seasons at northern parks like Glacier, as well as competitive reservations at popular parks like Yosemite, could lead campers to brave the smoky conditions rather than forego a trip altogether,” a study said.
Those patterns could change, particularly after the past two years of severe, pervasive fires that were not accounted for in the study, “In the past, maybe you just went. You didn’t think about the smoke,” the Independent quoted Margaret Walls, a senior fellow with Resources for the Future who co-authored a study. She thinks the potential for smoke could factor into future plans. “You used to be able to say, it’ll be all right around the Grand Canyon. Not anymore.”
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