Large crowds taking toll on Pennsylvania state parks

In the late 1800s, Ohiopyle State Park’s 100-acre Ferncliff Peninsula was home to a boardwalk, bowling alley and hotel along the Youghiogheny River.

The small resort eventually closed as automobiles replaced rail transportation to the small Fayette County town, allowing the natural landscape to return. Decades later, Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area was named a national natural landmark and state park natural area.

Fast forward to 2020, and Ferncliff, home to rare plant species, is being damaged because of overcrowding at the park, according to manager Ken Bisbee. Visitors have forged their own paths on the peninsula, which is just off the Great Allegheny Passage.

“Now, there’s trails that really shouldn’t be there,” he said.

There eventually will be a cost associated with restoring that area to its previous state.

Natural resources across Pennsylvania are being taxed as thousands more visitors are turning to them for summertime recreation as mandates associated with the coronavirus pandemic have shut down pools, festivals and other warm weather activities. Crowd-related issues — litter, parking, venturing off marked trails — are affecting parks statewide and are more severe near bigger cities, said Terrence Brady, spokesman for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The damage left behind from overcrowding at some of the state parks and forests stings the environment but also comes with a cost. It would be on top of $1 billion in deferred maintenance at the state’s public lands already identified in a 2019 report, said Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation.

“We would bear the cost because they’re publicly owned or it falls on volunteers,” she said. “The increased visitation did not come with increase in staffing.”

Ohiopyle and Keystone State Park in Derry Township were identified by the department during a hot August weekend as being overcrowded. Park manager Kris Baker said Keystone, which has a lake and beach, has been deluged with visitors. Last month, it had 190,000 visitors — about twice the amount of a normal July.

There have been a lot of first-time visitors at the beach area and, while it is good locals are exploring their backyards, the “crushing attendance” has been hard on volunteers, maintenance staff and grass, Baker said.

Between two and four volunteers are spending about 10 to 12 hours daily picking up litter at the beach area. The foot traffic combined with a lack of rain has resulted in new grass dying. Visitors bringing alcohol, which is prohibited in all state parks, also has been a problem.

“The downside of it is, with our first-time users, they would be best served … (learning) what proper park etiquette is,” Baker said. “There’s an awful lot of education going on. A lot of it is just a lack of knowledge.”

Ohiopyle saw 212,000 visitors in June, which was a 74% increase compared to last year, according to department figures. McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County in June saw a 19% increase in visitors, with nearly 39,000.

Brady said capacity at pools and swimming beaches at state parks has been reduced to 75% during the pandemic. It hasn’t been unusual for those facilities to reach capacity in the past, but the “scope has never been so widespread,” he said.

“Parks are deemed overcapacity when there (are) no parking spaces left,” he said. “Swim areas are monitored by parking spaces taken.”

Parking in general has been an issue at Ohiopyle, Bisbee said. Drivers are leaving their vehicles on center islands in the parking lot near the visitors center. That compacts the roots of silver maples that are 60 to 100 years old, he said. Park rangers are not hesitant about writing tickets when safety is an issue.

“We are not being understanding when it’s affecting the natural resources,” Bisbee said.

Visitors have been congregating at the usual watering holes to cool off — the natural slides, Cucumber Falls and the Yough River — but some on the riverbanks have used inflatable tubes or air mattresses, which can be hazardous on a powerful river known for its whitewater rapids. Bisbee said rescuers have had to help many who got swept away before going over the waterfall by the visitors center.

Bisbee and Baker agreed it’s great to see visitors enjoying the public lands, but it has been overwhelming.

“It’s become a safety issue for us and also a resource issue for us,” Bisbee said.

Parks and forests may have to block certain areas off to allow the natural resources time to recover if the damage becomes too great, Mowery said. The foundation has started a $285,000 campaign seeking donations to improve worn-out equipment at the state’s campsites.

If visitors don’t start respecting the state’s natural beauty, it might disappear completely, Mowery said. That could be devastating, as parks and forests have remained open throughout the pandemic.

“If you don’t take care of it, it is not going to be there for you to go back to,” she said. “If you’re not caring for them, you may lose access to them.”