Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Mesquite Flat sand dunes at Death Valley National Park Geoffrey Morrison A few weeks ago, a visitor to Death Valley burned his feet on the sand so badly , he had to be driven partially out of the park, and then airlifted because it was too hot for helicopters to reach where he was. Every year, people get mauled by bison at Yellowstone . Heat stroke and dehydration is shockingly common at many parks.
One hike at Zion is labeled as the most dangerous in the the country . I’ve been to 39 National Parks, most more than once, and dozens of state parks. I love National Parks, and it blows my mind how often I see people wildly under equipped or casually participating in dangerous activities.
I’m not trying to dissuade people from visiting a park. They are wondrous. I’m also not saying that visiting any park is more dangerous than, say, the simple act of driving there.
What I am saying is I’ve seen countless examples of people alarmingly underestimating risk. Worse still, often these people are the parents of young children, who are more at risk and even less likely to know something’s wrong. Looking at info from the National Park Service , my anecdotal examples are far more common than I’d feared.
So here are a few tips to make a visit to a National Park as safe as possible, regardless of your skill level, park plans, or time of year. 1) Water White Sands National Park Geoffrey Morrison A few months ago I did a hik.