
National Geographic’s October 2016 issue featured an article that explores the Millennial generation’s declining attendance at National Parks, due in part to an upbringing that put less emphasis on experiencing the outdoors than previous generations, and also in part to their ever-present need for a connection to the outside world. It explores the idea: can the “selfie generation” truly unplug in nature?
If I take a hard look at myself, I have to raise my hand and be counted as one of the Millennials that spends more time on a screen than seeking out real-life experiences in the outdoors. I live in the middle of a big city, work a full-time job, and don’t have easy access to a car – and I let that stop me all the time. Instead of doing my own exploring, I follow dozens of people on Instagram who post “nature porn” on a regular basis (see moonmountainman and sterlingptaylor for two examples of wanderers who bring the glory of the parks directly to your iPhone screen).
But in many ways, my inability to unplug coupled with my appetite to see beautiful images of the world has actually inspired me to seek out more experiences in nature. It has opened my eyes to some of the most awesome places in the world – many right here in the United States – and this greater awareness has directly impacted my travel decisions.
As an example, my trip to Yosemite National Park in 2015 was largely informed by Instagram feeds and stories from friends who had gone. Just this summer, after finding an amazing flight deal to Sri Lanka, a combination of Instagram and travel blogs gave me the information and confidence I needed to plan a two-week long nature retreat on the other side of the world. Without having the world literally at my fingertips, I expect that my travel decisions would have fallen back on old standbys – cities around the U.S. and the world – that I had learned about growing up.
My Recent Experience in the Outdoors Without Technology: Camping for the First Time in Six Years
Most recently – and on a much smaller scale – I was reintroduced to camping when I roughed it for two nights near Shenandoah National Park with a group of friends. I hadn’t camped in at least six years, and I was nervous about what I would take away from the experience. Would I enjoy it, or had I gotten too used to the ease and comfort of my daily life? I certainly enjoy hiking, but I also appreciate taking a warm shower at the end of the day.
We arrived at the campsite late at night and were immediately greeted by damp grass and swarms of gnats. Great. Thankfully, my friends had brought tarps to put beneath the tents to keep any water out, and the gnats largely left us alone as long as we didn’t have light near us. This might be ok, I thought.
Then somebody told me to look up. As soon as I lifted my head I stared in wonder at millions of bright stars dotting the sky. The characteristic cluster of of the Milky Way galaxy was a thick brush stroke cutting across the darkness. The night was so clear that we could see virtually every single star in the sky.
After hiking Old Rag Mountain the next morning, we spent the rest of our time at the campsite cooking meals over the fire, wading in the river, playing yard games, and catching up. I sank my feet into the muddy river bottom, watched a snake skillfully cut across the top of the water, roasted marshmallows over the campfire, lost myself playing bongos, and escaped to look at the stars alone until my fear of a bear pouncing on me and eating my face scared me into getting up (hey, I’m still the same girl I described at the beginning of this post).
My phone was buried deep inside of a bag inside of my backpack inside of the tent. Time seemed to stop. I vowed to myself that I would buy my own camping gear and escape into nature as much as possible in the future, because this was the life.

Our campsite near Shenandoah National Park.
The Tension Between Technology, Nature, and Increased Tourism
I was recently talking to a friend about the complicated relationship between technology and nature. In some ways, there’s great tension between the two ideas – the need to be plugged-in deterring people from visiting places without a signal – but also complementary aspects, like gaining a greater awareness of the world. She cautioned that there’s also the danger for nature to be used for the purposes of technology; where people visit for the sole purpose of “getting the photo.”
I’ve been there: You make it to Taft Point in Yosemite, only to wait in line while people walk out on the ledge to be photographed by a buddy the next rock over. See Exhibit A below.

The obligatory Taft Point photograph.
The fact is, the accessibility of some of these great sights is an unbelievable asset, but it can lead to a culture of people not actually spending time in nature and instead using it to for their next Instagram capture. Timothy Egan, author of the NatGeo article, points to evidence of this: “The number of people who camp overnight in park backcountry is down significantly from 35 years ago—which the service attributes to millennials being less enamored of roughing it than earlier generations.”
The same friend I was speaking to about technology and nature made an observation during a recent hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies: The highly-trafficked shorter trails leading to great vistas had significantly more litter than those that were longer, lesser-known, or in the backcountry.
In other words, the impacts of mass tourism were evident. The volume of visitors to these trails coupled with greater ignorance or disinterest in preservation guidelines created an environment where the natural space became trampled and littered. It’s a dangerous consequence of greater awareness and visitation to outdoor spaces.

This was our campsite before we picked up every single piece of trash, down to the tiniest scrap of paper, before leaving.
A recent example of vandalism occurred in Oregon, when the famous Duckbill formation was caught on video being toppled by vandals.
This video by National Geographic perfectly sums up the debate of whether technology technology is an asset to get people to explore natural parks, or whether it detracts from the experience and leads to a culture of people using (and often abusing) nature for “the shot.” Personally, I have this debate with myself all the time.
The truth is, it’s both.
The reality of technology is that it isn’t going away, so our challenge is to find a way to use it to enhance the park’s experience and to inspire people to visit and have authentic experiences.
So how do we reconcile our desire to attract people to appreciate the gift of nature, while limiting our overall impact? I certainly don’t have the answer, but I believe that will be the challenge of our generation.
What’s your take? Add your voice to the conversation in the comments!
I couldn’t relate with you more on this post Marissa! I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents who treasured the outdoors and our National Parks in particular. I have two backpacks littered with my Junior Ranger patches from parks all around the country. I spent most of my family summer vacations camping, hiking and exploring what many consider “America’s Best Idea.”
But it wasn’t until I reached college that I think I truly appreciated the gift my parents had given me by instilling a love of nature and our National Parks. It was this love and passion that led me to my first job with the National Park Service. Hindsight always being 20/20, I now realize what a gift that job was too. I got paid to get out into our National Parks and document their beauty and cultural significance. Interestingly enough, my job was basically to combine the two things you put at odds here: nature and technology.
I had the good fortune of working for a boss who understood that the National Park Service had to embrace technology to reach younger generations. She hired a group of “young kids” as they called us, to help set up the first procedures for building social media pages for the parks and creating digital content to fill those pages. (When I first started at the Park Service in June 2010 you couldn’t even access social media channels on government computers).
Our work met resistance within the Park Service. Many of the long term employees did not think technology had a place out in nature. I understand that point of view. Last summer while taking in the majestic beauty of the Redwoods in John Muir woods, I was highly annoyed by the number of people who were talking loudly, taking selfies and blasting music. This was supposed to be a peaceful retreat where people go to reconnect with nature! On the other hand, John Muir woods, and indeed many of our National Parks, are not easily accessible to the public at large, especially those without means of personal transportation. In addition to protecting our parks, the National Park Service is also supposed to serve as stewards for these parks and help ensure the next generation is ready and willing to protect their beauty. How can ours and younger generations get excited about protecting something they have never seen or known?
Technology, as you pointed out, allows the beauty of these places to reach a much wider audience. My hope is that technology will make more people want to visit our National Parks. This of course presents the problem of how to maintain and protect the parks with more visitors, but I think that is a good problem to have. As with anything in life, it comes down to balance. I too like to take pictures that encapsulate the indescribable beauty of nature, but I make sure to take the time to put technology away and allow myself to truly experience nature.
#FindYourPark
Hi Sarah,
Your comment is SO on point! I am envious that you had a lot of exposure to National Parks growing up. I feel like I am playing catch-up now!
You perfectly capture the tension that exists between the Parks and technology. It’s interesting to have you relate an insider’s view, given your experience working at the Park Service. Thanks to people like you, though, we now have the ability to get a peek inside America’s great parks through social media platforms such as Instagram, which inspires so many to visit (including me)!
Like you, I believe that technology can actually help the National Parks get their important messages out and attract people to visit. Perhaps the next thing they should use it for is to teach people about park etiquette! ?
Thanks again for your comment, it means a lot that you would take the time to write such a thoughtful response to the article!
All the best,
Marissa