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| Yosemite National Park with Bridalveil waterfall - Shutterstock |
In both the United States and Australia, visits to National Parks have shown a consistent and in some cases, dramatic increase in visitors over the past few years. But the increased interest although impressive disguises another aspect - the actual composition of the visitors. While Millenials constitute 21% of the US population, they only contribute 14% to the visitor cohort to the National Parks. Baby boomers in contrast are 24% of the US population but are 39% of the park visitors. Despite a high level of environmental awareness amongst Millenials, there is not a corresponding level of practical engagement with nature. In the table below, the visitor data from the 15 most popular parks are listed. For ongoing public support for the parks in future decades, a high level of commitment will be needed from today's Millenial generation.
Major US National Parks
National Park
|
2015
|
2016
|
Change
%
|
|
1.
|
Great
Smokey Mountains
|
10,712,642
|
11,312,786
|
5.6
increase
|
2.
|
Grand
Canyon
|
5,520,736
|
5,969,811
|
8.1
increase
|
3.
|
Rocky
Mountain
|
4,155,916
|
4,517,585
|
8.7
increase
|
4.
|
Yosemite
|
4,150,217
|
5,028,868
|
21.2 increase
|
5.
|
Yellowstone
|
4,097,710
|
4,257,177
|
3.8 increase
|
6.
|
Zion
|
3,648,846
|
4,295,127
|
17.7
increase
|
7.
|
Olympic
|
3,263,761
|
3,390,221
|
3.8
increase
|
8.
|
Grand
Teton
|
3,149,921
|
3,270,076
|
3.8
increase
|
9.
|
Acadia
|
2,811,184
|
3,303,393
|
17.5
increase
|
10.
|
Glacier
|
2,366,056
|
2,946,681
|
24.5
increase
|
11.
|
Cuyahoga
|
2,284,612
|
2,423,390
|
6.0
increase
|
12.
|
Joshua
Tree
|
2,025,756
|
2,505,286
|
19.1
increase
|
13.
|
Hawai’i
Volcanoes
|
1,832,660
|
1,887,580
|
2.9
increase
|
14.
|
Bryce
Canyon
|
1,745,804
|
2,365,110
|
35.4
increase
|
15.
|
Hot
Springs
|
1,418,162
|
1,544,300
|
0.8 increase
|
Source: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park/GRSM
