Outrage as beautiful hiking trails in New England are hit by a gridlock caused by the huge influx of leaf peepers

Selfie-taking tourists have overwhelmed New England’s leaf-peeping hotspots, leading to dangerous traffic jams and concerns about visitor safety.

Shocking scenes of overcrowding were captured this weekend on the popular Artists Bluff Trail in Franconia, New Hampshire, with locals reporting risky behavior and a lack of supervision.

Tamara Breau, an experienced hiker from Milford, NH, described the scene WMUR as ‘completely unsafe’ because people are pushing their way through the bottlenecks at the top.

“Someone at New Hampshire State Parks needs to figure out a way to manage tourism,” she wrote in a local newspaper Facebook group on Sunday.

Shocking images of overcrowding were reported on the popular Artists Bluff Trail in New Hampshire

New England’s leaf-peeping hotspots have been overwhelmed with tourists this fall

“I’ve hiked popular trails in Banff and Lake Louise, where they regularly receive large numbers of tourists,” she explained. ‘THIS was dangerous. People were pushing, going off the path, climbing and leaving trash behind.

“Someone came down crying because he was so scared because of the sheer amount of people at the top.”

New Hampshire Fish and Games also reported an increase in rescues in the state, including seven on Saturday evening alone, WMUR reported.

One incident involved hikers stranded without lights in a drainage area near Cannon Mountain’s Basin Cascade Trail near Artists Bluff Trail.

Officials reported it took more than an hour to reach a rescue location on Franconia Ridge due to gridlocked roads.

New Hampshire Fish and Games reported an increase in rescues, including seven on Saturday evening alone

Local walkers expressed their frustration on social media, with one Facebook post calling for better management of the tourist crowds

The influx of tourists also caused severe traffic congestion on I-93, hampering rescue efforts.

Conservation officer Chris McKee warned of the discrepancy between autumn ‘everywhere else’ and the harsh reality of the mountains.

“What people don’t realize now is that it may be autumn elsewhere, but here in the mountains it is already winter,” he told WMUR.

“Mount Washington has already seen over six inches of snow this week. All the snow and elevation we encounter is covered in snow and ice, and people are just not prepared for it.”

One visitor said she witnessed someone “carrying a child down through the brush.”

People took photos of the fall foliage as they looked out from the top of the Artist Bluff Trail

Tamara Breau, an experienced hiker from Milford, NH, described the scene as “completely unsafe,” with people “weaving their way through” bottlenecks at the summit.

Breau added in her Facebook post that she witnesses a visitor trying to “carry a child through the brush.”

“There was not a state park representative or a state police officer anywhere to be seen,” she said. “These crazy tourists have no etiquette and no common sense.”

Reactions among those who saw the message were mixed.

Influencers stop walking for perfect scrolling photos

Reactions to the crowds were mixed

While some sympathized with tourists’ desire to enjoy the autumn scenery, others called for stricter measures or giving priority to residents.

At least one person calls the complaining people “a bunch of Karens”:[Y]You don’t like the crowds not going,” the user wrote.

As leaf-viewing season continues, Fish and Games officials are urging visitors to prepare with essential gear, including food, water, headlamps and maps.

They emphasized the importance of good planning and awareness of the rapidly changing mountain conditions.