Visits to national parks in the hottest parts of the country this summer have not slowed down as Arizona, California and Texas continue to break records and experience fatal temperatures that officials say impact how visitors recreate at the country’s most popular outdoor destinations.
Jim Brigance of Atlanta, takes a photo with son Will as they stand next to a digital display of an ... [+]
Last month was the hottest June ever on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, but Americans haven’t stopped visiting the country’s desert parks despite heat that is credited for contributing to at least five people’s deaths at the parks this year.
A 65-year-old man was found dead in a parked car at Death Valley, in California, in early July and a second man, 71, died at a trailhead Wednesday; a teenager and his step father were found dead in 119-degree heat while hiking at Big Bend National Park in Texas; and a 57-year-old hiker died in a remote area of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona earlier this month — heat has been linked as a potential contributing factor in all five deaths.
Cynthia Hernandez, public affairs specialist for the National Park Service, told Forbes that visitors are drawn to parks in the hottest months because school is out in the summers, scenic drives in air-conditioned vehicles are popular and it may be the only time they’re able to visit.
In some cases, the heat is even a reason itself to leave the safety of air conditioning; as Death Valley prepares to break the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth, people are waiting outside the visitor’s center for selfies with a local landmark: the giant thermometer that records the area's unofficial temperature.
Parks in the Southwest part of the country like Death Valley National Park and Big Bend are used to the heat and plan their events for early morning or evening to avoid the hottest parts of the day, Hernandez said, as well as encourage visitors who are traveling and may not be used to the heat to do their research and listen to the advice of park employees on the ground.
Hernandez said heat can lead to a change in programming or closing of trails at parks, and that park managers are always “working to make decisions that help visitors have safer experiences.”
National Park Service visitor statistics are not considered official until they go through a verification process at the end of the year, but parks submit unofficial visitor stats on a monthly basis.
The Rio Grande flows on the outskirts of the Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park on January ... [+]
Big Bend National Park — Big Bend in Texas, which has 150 miles of desert and mountain trails and saw temperatures of 119 degrees F in June, saw a 1% increase in visitors from the year before; 22,635 people visited last month and 22,385 went to the park in June of 2022.
A panoramic view from Olmsted Point and the Tioga road in Yosemite National Park, California in July ... [+]
Yosemite National Park — California's Yosemite National Park has been under an excessive heat warning and visitors are experiencing poor air quality and visibility due to the Pika Fire that first started burning in late June. But tourists are still rushing to the 1,169-square-mile park; 487,618 people visited this June, up from 470,045 in the same month last year.
A car travels from the Cottonwood entrance of Joshua Tree National Park in the direction of the ... [+]
Joshua Tree National Park — Temperatures are expected to hit 111 degrees F in the California desert Friday—July is annually the hottest month for Joshua Tree National Park—but the creeping heat didn't slow down June visitors. An estimated 212,700 visited the park last month and 159,177 visited in June 2022.
A car passes a sign warning of extreme heat danger in Death Valley National Park on July 15, 2023. ... [+]
Death Valley National Park — Death Valley saw the most visitors this May as any May since 2019. An estimated 113,857 people visited the park that month compared to 92,601 in the same month last year. June data is not available, but Hernandez said the draw of the giant thermometer makes Death Valley a go-to place for tourists looking for a unique experience.
Posted signs warn tourists and hikers of the dangers of hiking in the Grand Canyon on May 14, 2019. ... [+]
Grand Canyon National Park — Grand Canyon National Park hasn't updated its monthly visitor data since April, but a look at historical numbers shows heat has prevented crowds from arriving. July and August are annually the hottest months at the park, and last year saw more than half a million visitors in each month. July was the most-visited month last year with 543,760 people followed by June with 510,239 and August with 500,265. The NPS warned against hiking in the inner canyon Thursday, where temperatures were expected to hit 118 degrees F.
134 degrees F. That's the hottest air temperature ever recorded in Death Valley, a record hit in 1913 during a heat wave that brought five consecutive days of 129-degree temperatures. The highest ground temperature at Death Valley—also called soil surface temperature—ever recorded was 201 degrees F, set on a day the air was 128 degrees.
Noah Tarnac, of Paris, has his photo taken by mother Celine at a Death Valley National Park sign, ... [+]
Marie David, 16, of France, middle, drinks water to keep hydrated at Zabriskie Point on Sunday, ... [+]
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