Small businesses at the gateways to America’s national parks face 4 big risks – including changing boundaries and extreme weather

Policy changes, climate disruption, staffing shortages and housing costs are reshaping the risks of owning or starting a gateway business.

By: Nancy Forster-Holt, University of Rhode Island, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 14, 2026

Words: 1,337

Last Updated: 3 days, 11 hours ago

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By Nancy Forster-Holt, University of Rhode Island

A record 332 million people visited U.S. national parks in 2024, followed by roughly 323 million in 2025.

That’s a lot of love for national parks and lands. You might think that such big numbers of visitors automatically create windfalls for the towns and businesses that serve them. The National Park Service calls towns or counties within roughly 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) of a park boundary …

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