More popular national parks in danger of being loved to death

It’s no secret that America’s most popular national parks suffer from overcrowding. Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon — all are in danger of being loved to death.

How bad is it? According to the National Parks Conservation Association, congestion along the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park has gotten so bad that, at peak season, 6,000 cars vie for 2,500 parking spots. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, America’s busiest park with more than 9 million visitors per year, it can take four hours to drive an 11-mile loop.

But visitation is not evenly distributed throughout the park system’s 55 units. While Grand Canyon National Park saw more than 4 million visitors in 2003, the country’s largest national park — Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska — saw just 43,000.

Certainly, travelers intent on solitude can still find it in the national parks — even without heading to Alaska. The best strategy for beating the crowds may simply be to pick a park destination that, while spectacular, lacks the fame and iconic attractions of a Yosemite or Yellowstone. Here are a few candidates.

Some 120 miles northeast of Seattle, North Cascades National Park in Washington is home to more than 700 glaciers. By comparison, Montana’s Glacier National Park has a paltry 35. The North Cascades Scenic Highway (closed in winter) runs east-west across the park and is considered one of the country’s most spectacular drives. The park is a peak bagger’s paradise with 400 miles of trails and practically limitless backcountry camping across 684,000 acres. Another attraction is the village of Stehekin (population 70). Located within the park, on fjordlike Lake Chelan, the town is accessible only by foot, boat or floatplane. A great jumping-off point, Stehekin offers lodging as well as activities like horseback rides and whitewater trips. In 2003, North Cascades National Park saw 429,786 recreational visitors. Information: (360) 856-5700 or www.nps.gov/noca.

At the southern limit of the Cascade Range, Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California is a geologist’s dream, featuring steam vents, hydrothermal pools and representatives of all four types of volcanoes found in the world. The centerpiece is Lassen Peak. At 10,457 feet, the normally snow-capped mountain is the world’s largest plug dome volcano, a slumbering giant that last erupted in 1917. Today it’s easily climbed, affording views of nearby Mount Shasta and surrounding lakes and meadows. The 106,372-acre park has more than 150 miles of trails, a guest lodge and numerous campgrounds. Lassen, which saw 406,782 recreational visits in 2003, is 50 miles east of Redding, Calif., and is easily reached by car. Information: (530) 595-4444 or www.nps.gov/lavo/.

With just over half a million visitors in 2002, Capitol Reef is the least visited of Utah’s five national parks. Not a reef in the usual sense, the park was created around the picturesque red cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long buckling of the Earth’s crust. White domelike formations atop the fold explain the “capitol” reference. The Fruita Campground, a veritable oasis, has 70 campsites set amid orchards and historic buildings from early Mormon settlement. Mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding are all popular activities in the 240,000- acre park. Remember: This is desert environment; the summer months are hot, while nights can be surprisingly cold. Spring and fall are the more desirable times to visit. Salt Lake City, 250 miles north, is the nearest major city. Information: (435) 425-3791 or www.nps.gov/care.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado became the country’s newest national park in 1999 after being upgraded from national monument status. According to geologist Wallace Hansen, “no other North American canyon combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness and somber countenance of the Black Canyon.” In 2003, 165,000 visitors peered into the dark chasm. While most are content to explore the rim trails, the more adventurous may venture to the inner canyon and the Gunnison River, 2,000 feet below. Be warned: These are steep scrambles on unmarked paths. The 30,000-acre park is located 10 miles from Montrose, Colo. Information: (970) 641-2337, extension 205, or www.nps.gov/blca.

Isle Royale National Park, which logged 19,000 visits in 2002, is at once the least-visited national park in the Lower 48 and the one with the most return visitors. Home to wolves and moose, the 200-island archipelago is located in Michigan’s Lake Superior and reached only by floatplane or boat. Passenger ferries depart from Houghton and Copper Harbor, Mich., as well as Grand Portage, Minn. Thirty-six campgrounds serve kayakers, canoeists and backpackers who have 165 miles of hiking trails to explore through heavily forested terrain. The park is closed from Nov. 1 to April 15. Information: (906) 482-0984 or www.nps.gov/isro.