Service Times and Capacity at National Park Entrance Stations

Abstract

As many recreational tourists know, long queues of vehicles at park entrance stations during peak season are a problem for many national parks and monuments. In some instances, on holiday weekends the lines are known to extend 1 mi or more. Information is presented on the capacity of entrance stations as determined from data collected at Arches National Park in Utah, supplemented by data collected at Grand Canyon National Park. At Arches National Park the capacity of an entrance station lane is 112 vehicles per hour. This value can be used as a general guide by other parks. The service time per vehicle at a park entrance station will vary from park to park depending on ( a) the proportion of visitors who hold a previously purchased pass (short transaction time), ( b) the amount of printed information and safety advisories given to the visitor, ( c) the proximity of a visitor center at which the visitor can ask questions, and ( d) other factors. The capacity of an entrance station lane is important and useful information to the National Park Service for analyzing the number of needed lanes at an entrance station, the benefits of a lane dedicated to automated entry, and other possible solutions to the queuing problem. A number of national parks have implemented automated lanes at entrance stations. An overview of the operation of automated lanes also is provided.