“The Nation’s Playground”

Abstract

National parks offer a prime recreation setting, and millions of visitors would seem to agree. From the outset, the Park Service has encouraged visitors to avail themselves of the hiking, camping, fishing, and other outdoor opportunities available in the parks. Along the way, beset by diverse new recreational requests backed by powerful businesses and constituencies, the Park Service has opened some areas to snowmobiles, off-highway vehicles, personal watercraft, and similar activities. It has also denied or limited access for other users, including hunters, mountain bikers, white-water kayakers, and aerial enthusiasts, asserting that these recreational pursuits are incompatible with national park purposes. At the same time, Congress has significantly expanded the park system to meet escalating recreational demands, creating new national recreation areas, gateway parks, and related designations. In addition, the private sector—concessioners, outfitters, gateway businesses, and others—has come to play an important role in promoting and providing recreational opportunities for park visitors. Underlying this evolution in recreation policy is the fundamental question of whether the national parks are appropriately regarded as playgrounds or whether they should aspire to more lofty goals.