Annual visitation to the areas of the National Park system reached 277 million in 2002. King said Wednesday he believes visitors are "loving our parks to death" as national parks have seen an increase in visitors and cars leading to 4-hour wait times and increased littering in some . How We're Loving Our National Parks to Death. I am really excited to see some of the "big" ones for the first time, like Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Yet despite everything parks give us in recreation and tourism, despite our professed love, the sad fact is we're no longer showing them much care in return. How We're Loving Our National Parks to Death - Trent Sizemore America's national parks face existential crisis over race But alas, it's the 21st century and John Muir's "grandest of all temples of nature" is bursting at the seams with tourists in search of their latest social media trophy. "These parks belong to all of us. All this raises the question: On the centennial . The backlog of critical maintenance and repairs in the National Park Service stands at $11.6 billion and until recently, addressing the backlog seemed to be out of our reach. By DAYTON DUNCAN. Numbers used to peak in the summer, but tourists now stream in year-round — nearly 5,000 a day. Even as international visitation is down due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, visitation numbers at our most iconic parks like Glacier, Acadia, and Yosemite are already at all-time highs," said Chairman King in his opening statement. Long Lines, Packed Campsites And Busy Trails: Our Crowded National Parks Sen. Angus King says our national parks are in danger of being 'loved ... The parks have inspired a century of poetry and prose — including.