You may be banned from visiting US national parks: what not to do

National parks are some of the most visited places in the United States. However, certain behaviors may result in you being banned from the park. How and why, the publication told Yahoo!.

Photo: IStock

Although this happens relatively rarely, some people are banned from the parks both for a short time and permanently. For example, earlier this year, one man was put on probation after being caught on an illegal Grand Canyon expedition for the second time. As part of his probation, he is banned from visiting national parks, monuments, and federal recreation areas for two years.

In many cases, bad behavior is obvious. For example, painting with aerosol paints or causing other damage to park facilities.

A San Diego woman was barred from all national parks and territories administered by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Army Corps of Engineers for two years after pleading guilty to defacing rock formations in Death Valley National Parks. , Rocky Mountain, Canyonlands, Zion, Yosemite, and Crater Lake, as well as at the Colorado National Monument.

Two Colorado residents have been ordered not to visit the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument for a year after pleading guilty to removing artifacts from the site. If they comply with this order, their $2 fine will be reduced to $500. The couple reportedly removed more than 500 artifacts from the park.

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Even something as innocent as flying a drone, a hobby that has been gaining popularity in recent years, can result in a park ban. Flying drones or any other unmanned aerial vehicle such as model airplanes or quadcopters is prohibited in national parks. They can harm wildlife, become a nuisance to other park visitors, and even create a forest fire hazard. They may also interfere with the preservation of iconic park properties. According to the NPS, the drones crashed into geysers in Yellowstone National Park and disappeared over the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Violation of this rule, according to the US National Park Service (NPS), is a misdemeanor and can lead to imprisonment for up to six months and a fine of $ 5 thousand. Although the NPS does not mention the ban on visiting the park as a possible consequence, this happened.

In 2014, just a month after the NPS imposed a drone ban, a German citizen became the first to be prosecuted for the violation after she crashed her drone into Yellowstone Lake. She received one year of unsupervised probation and a one-year ban from the park.

In other cases, the behavior is more serious.

Last summer, a five-year ban was imposed on a woman accused of giving false information about a missing hiker in Grand Teton National Park. Because of her false report, officials spent more than 530 hours searching and investigating, but to no avail. She will be able to return to the park only in 2027. According to NPS, the man has not yet been found.

A Washington resident has been banned from all national parks and monuments and other federal lands in Arizona after he pleaded guilty to leading a 139-person Grand Canyon hike without a permit. Any organized group with 12 to 30 participants must have a trek permit. Park officials said the man was informed that his group needed permission.

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In April 2020, an Arizona man pleaded guilty to a similar case in which he illegally led a backpacking hike through the backcountry of the Grand Canyon. According to the park, in a press release issued in April 2022, he had already received a warning that his activities violated the rules, but continued to work. He was ordered to serve two years of supervised probation and banned from the Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area until 2024.

The NPS website does not clearly describe behavior that may result in a ban from the park, but there are a number of resources that encourage visitors to take a responsible vacation at the NPS.

This includes giving animals space and not disturbing wild animals, storing food, throwing away trash, and reporting visitors who do not follow park rules.

“Ultimately, ensuring the safety and conservation of wildlife is up to you,” NPS writes. “When you go to a national park, you are responsible for the safety of yourself, your family and the wildlife.”

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