When our first national parks were established more than 110 years ago, automobiles were not allowed inside park boundaries. As thousands of cars began rolling off the assembly lines in the early 20th century, park managers faced a critical question: Should cars be allowed in?
Even before the onset of automobile tourism began, conservation pioneers like John Muir knew the car would change the National Park experience. As Muir prophetically wrote, “All signs indicate automobile victory, and doubtless, under certain precautionary restrictions, these useful, progressive, blunt-nosed mechanical beetles will hereafter be allowed to puff their way through all the parks and mingle their gas-breath with the breath of the pines and waterfalls.