1. The National Park System "includes 401 areas covering more than 84 million acres in each state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and, as reported by the NPS in 2011, 278,939 216 parks were visited” (National Parks). Park Services, 2011). “More than nine million visitors enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making it one of the most visited parks in the country. More than three million of these visits are recorded during the summer months” (National Park Services, 2011). With many visits to the parks, many concerns have increased. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is “one of 59 parks affected by air pollution” (Our National Parks, 2013). Research conducted “for more than 30 years shows that park resources such as streams, vegetation and visibility have deteriorated” (Our National Parks, 2013). The park experiences “some of the highest amounts of air pollution of any national park in the United States, making it extremely dangerous for visitors” (Our National Parks, 2013). When visiting a park, most visitors travel in family vehicles. This impact of air pollution and extensive park pollution is largely due to the use of single-engine vehicles. The presence of national parks such as the Great Smoky Mountains is under threat because people focus solely on the individual benefits of sightseeing, hiking, and tourism rather than the large-scale environmental effects they create. Today's road vehicles “produce more than a third of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides present in our atmosphere and more than 20% of the pollution caused by global warming” (Our National Parks, 2013) . Hardin mentions how: “At present they (the parks) are open to all, ...... middle of paper ...... their implementation has not been successful. Its success is said to be due to the fact that the permit was issued in every state in the country. As Hardin mentions, “administering large queues” like at a theme park could be an effective strategy for eliminating pollution (Hardin, 1968, p. 1245). NPS officials should begin implementing a guest capping strategy in which a certain number of people are allowed to visit each day. With such a plan, parks will be less congested, there will be less vehicle pollution and less dilapidation of trails. Finding solutions to reduce ozone pollution through eco-friendly and alternative means of transportation can also be implemented. Resolutions must be planned and implemented at full speed, otherwise future generations will not be able to enjoy such a natural and breathing resource. The public must be aware of these deteriorating effects.