NOT because they are crowded.
They started the timed entry system last year and used Covid as an excuse.
“We need to have less people in the parks so they don’t get Covid “.
Of course totally ignoring all park activities are outside ,
They are simply lying.
This is something they have always wanted to do so they don’t have to work harder .
They used Covid last year as an excuse to do it.
It’s also elitist as the locals blame problems on “outsiders “.
The locals just want to have beautiful national parks just to theirselves .
This is simply incorrect.
The locals rely on the tourism that these national parks draw to the local economies. That they would ever not want customers to show up because they want these national parks (which they see day in and day out for twelve months a year) all to themselves is absurd.
(If you want to say that the park rangers on the GS salary who are paid the same regardless of how many people show up at the gate don't want a lot of visitors, that might be true.)
Don’t know what it was like during COVID, but last time I went to the Redwood Forest in 2014 you had to make reservations in advance for any overnight stays between May and August because it was so crowded. So this appears to be standard MOP. Just more sensationalism from the media.