National parks as a collective experience

Much U.S. national park research and management has focused on "crowding," with many researchers often assuming higher visitor density inevitably degrades visitor experience. While valuable in guiding the protection and management of national parks, this "deficit-based" crowding framework largely overlooks one of the positive externalities of high visitor density: the shared joy of collective experience. We argue that this traditional view stems from specific ideals of solitude, often excluding the motivations of an increasingly diverse visitor base. This paper introduces a complementary concept centered on "communitas" — spontaneous social solidarity. We reframe the presence of others not as a problem, but as a potential source of connection under certain visitor archetypes and recreational settings. We propose to operationalize this concept within existing visitor use management frameworks. By treating positive social interaction as a measurable indicator while balancing resource protection, managers can create more inclusive environments that validate diverse ways of experiencing nature.