I pose the question to the audience: do you think we build overlooks for the sublime or the beautiful?
Answer: Sublime!
Here are some official NPS Overlooks in the park.






Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar: You’re driving through a national park when suddenly, you see a sign that says: Scenic Overlook Next Left, and of course, you turn at the next left, drive up to the parking lot and do one of two things: stick your head out the car window and snap a picture or run out the car, stand with your back to the view, turn around with a huge smile (because you have to pretend to your friends and family back home that you really were happy and having a great time), take a picture, and then rush back to the car, all in under a minute. And then you continue on to the next viewpoint.

Of course, that seems a bit stereotypical, but after working at these overlooks, it happens more often than not.

Is there anything wrong with that? No, but there are so many other ways to experience one’s national park. This is the challenge I pose to the audience; where exactly does that stereotypical tourist behavior come from? And how can we move beyond such habits?