The 20 safest and most dangerous national parks
Comments
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I'm still pissed that the Gateway Arch got a National Park designation in 2018. It's a manmade object on 91 acres, a complete outlier in the NPS, a bastardization of what National Parks are supposed to be about, a politically motivated designation, and rabble rabble rabble! It's BULLSHIT.
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It's a gateway drug to western national parks
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It was fine as a National Monument or National Memorial e.g. the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, DC sites, etc. These aren't simply names, they do have meaning. Teddy Roosevelt is rolling in his grave!
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Seqoia was the national park I've felt the least safe in. I guess it's flat and not big but I remember walking on one of the main trails and suddenly hit a bunch of snow and quickly was lost in a large area of endless snow and ran into a few other people who had the same issue and there was no service. It was deep snow and there were ponds and stuff around which we knew we could slip into. Eventually just walked around and got lucky enough to hit a trail. Was mega sketchy and I guess like Muir or some shit wanted it to be untouched so there were no warning signs or anything.
Morro Rock was also sketchy as shit. Mega steep walk up with no railings and way too many people with barely enough space to go past each other.
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Sequoia NP stretches from ~1300ft to Mt. Whitney at 14500, the highest point in the 48. Sequoia is legitimately the least flat National Park in the 48, and it's huge. In combo with Kings Canyon NP it's even huger (it's essentially one park, really). Anyway, I've climbed several 14ers in Sequoia NP and boy are they anything but flat. I had to correct this record.
Careful out there Woolley. Cell service and warning signs on trails are very rare in national parks. The warning signs are at the entrance to the park, trailheads, visitor centers, and in your senses. Gotta have your wits about ya, most importantly, or you'll end up on this list!
That being said, snow is no joke, and it's probably the biggest killer/maimer on this list. Especially scary when melt/freeze cycles start in spring and around tree wells. Lots of risk for those things in the lower Sequoia elevations. -
Christ - if there ain't no grizzly bars then you can't top the list.
I can remember hiking around Glacier and Yellastone in High School being terrified of getting eating alive.
N. Cascades has hardly any grizzlies compared to the Alaska stuff.
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North Cascades is always one step ahead of the competition. Better bring your A-game if you're gonna topple the king.
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It was a learning moment. Was legit like 10 minutes of walking away from getting out of my car then 10 minutes later was like oh shit, I don't know where I am.
Aren't national parks and the areas surrounding supposedly havens for unsolved murders too - creeps lurking around knowing a lot of young women go on solo treks in the parks?
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I once was camping between Yellowstone/Teton at a dispersed site, one other guy camping a few hundred yards away. We set up our tent and this dude comes strolling over with his camera. He then proceeds to show us his camera and scrolls through pictures of a mama grizz and cubs and says "This was in your campsite last night! Better be careful!"
We then had a fire in pitch black darkness, putting out a small circle of light, I was shifty eyed as fuck, scanning the perimeter, bear spray in one hand, imagining which fire torch I was gonna grab with my other hand to do battle with a grizzly. We then slept in the car. Fuck all that! -
No, especially for the young solo woman on a trek thing. It's a fanciful thought that appeals to our Hollywood senses, but no. Murder in national parks is extremely rare and a young solo woman walking through a grocery store parking lot or Discovery Park is far more risky. Not to say it hasn't happened and there aren't cold cases. Not many young women though.
