OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK – Food trucks, Wi-Fi, and even Amazon deliveries could be coming to a National Park campground near you if recent recommendations from an advisory committee are adopted.

The Department of Interior is reviewing proposals from the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee, created in 2017 and terminated this month upon submission of their report. They looked at ways to modernize some campgrounds across the country to better suit a new generation of younger and more diverse park visitors.

The report calls many of today’s park infrastructure inadequate and out-of-date and suggests adding amenities such as running water, tent and cabin rentals, food trucks, extended family sites, and Wi-Fi.

The National Park Service said the plan isn’t to modernize every campground, but to create a “second-century campground experience” in some areas that are under-used by nearby populations.

Superintendent of Olympic National Park Sarah Creachbaum’s office responded to our calls by referring us to Stephanie Loeb from the National Park Service headquarters in Washington DC, who told us “The NPS does not intend to modernize every campground but strives to make smart, consistent decisions on when to modernize. As we implement this strategy, the NPS will engage the public for their feedback.”

She says next year a technical team will begin to develop standards for campground modernization through a design charrette, but did not say whether the public would be involved in that process.