National Park Service bracing for eclipse crush
The US National Park Service expects to be inundated with visitors keen to see the first total solar eclipse for decades in a natural setting.
The NPS is gearing up to welcome huge numbers at parks around the country while there are few if any accommodation options remaining at campgrounds and hotels close to parks.
Visitor numbers could eclipse previous records especially at the most popular and accessible parks.
"With all the hype, with all the attention that’s being directed towards the eclipse, we are really anticipating near or at record crowds for the parks across the country," said Brian Carlstrom, deputy director of natural resources for the National Park Service.
Carlstrom says there are 21 parks in 14 states in the line of totality with Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons expected to see the biggest crowds.
"Many of the hotels and campgrounds around them are booked to capacity and have been for months," said Carlstrom.
The NPS is adding more park staff to deal with the expected crush and traffic congestion.
"We’re expecting huge crowds. No idea of exactly how many, but we know they’re going to be big," Carlstrom added.
Meanwhile in Wyoming eclipse fever has taken hold with home sharing platform Airbnb seeing a more than 700% uptick in business.
"Home sharing gives cities big and small the ability to scale up quickly for major events and creates opportunities for local residents to earn additional income by sharing extra space in their homes,"" said Marisa Moret, Airbnb public policy manager.
"For many families this will be first time experiencing a solar eclipse together, and possibly even using Airbnb for the first time as well."
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