In Hiking Hidden Gems in America’s National Parks (Falcon Guides, Sept.), Backpacker magazine’s Northwest editor Ted Alvarez highlights seldom-visited spots within all 63 preserves. He spoke with PW about the complicated allure of Instagrammable landscapes.
What’s your approach to writing about wild places?
I once thought that having more visitors is better, because in our political reality, you really need a constituency. We tend to think of the national park system as eternal, but that may not be the case. My perspective has shifted over time, as I’ve seen places truly get loved to death. I don’t know whether anyone has the perfect answer. This year Mount Rainier National Park started a reservation system, which has been somewhat controversial. As the parks open up to communities who are just claiming their spot out there, it’s important to be sensitive; we have to make sure we aren’t gatekeeping or creating a situation where the same people who’ve always gone outdoors are the only ones who know how to use the system. All of this means there’s an irony to the book’s title: the minute the book is published, these places cease to be hidden.
Do you have advice for people just beginning their wilderness explorations?
I’m an evangelist for backpacking, staying outside longer. That’s a guaranteed way to find space for yourself and get to know a park. But travel depends on a lot of things—your location, your means. If you’re new to getting out into the parks, backpacking can be intimidating, so you may want to start with day hikes and graduate to car camping, then backpacking. I also think it’s worthwhile to explore the less-visited parks in your state. In California, for instance, Yosemite is really crowded. It’s undeniably worth seeing at least once—it’s one of the world’s most beautiful places. But then you can spend time in Lassen Volcanic National Park, in Northern California, which isn’t visited nearly as much.
How have social media and the internet changed how people experience natural spaces?
Social media and influencers occasionally blow up a place on Instagram, but I think we’re moving away from that, particularly as the parks become savvy about educating people and keeping vulnerable places safe. For example, in Washington there’s an area called the Enchantments that looks otherworldly. It gets tagged a lot; people are fixated on it. But when you notice McDonald’s wrappers floating in pristine torrents, you think, “Okay, we really do need to figure something out here.” Rangers are now telling people, sure, take photos and share them, but consider not tagging the exact location. And the Enchantments are a relatively advanced hike for beginners—there’s so much else to see in the North Cascades that’s just as gorgeous.
In the book, you write about traveling with friends and family; how does being with others change the experience of travel?
The outdoor industry likes to beat the drum of “solitude, solitude, solitude.” I understand the impulse. Solitude is important, and we all want to experience it occasionally. But I don’t think it’s more important than people. These places are best experienced when they’re shared with people close to you. And you can extend that goodwill to others you see out there. Help a newbie if you see one. Trying to hold these ideas of solitude and community in balance is not always easy, but it helps to remember that other people are experiencing nature the same way that you are.
