[prawn]

As an outsider, I think the US already has a brilliant system of designating land as tiers of national park, monument, national forest, BLM land, state park, etc. Especially in the west, there are huge amounts of land preserved for those interested in using it - hiking, camping, hunting, recreational vehicles (bikes, ATVs, etc). And all ages - families, college kids, travelling couples, grey nomads, etc. Loads of these places are not at all crowded.

The problem is purely that people concentrate in very small areas of that broader wilderness. Photo-driven tourism exacerbates this. People are inspired to travel by a photo they've seen, so spectacular things get buried in people.

If you want a wilder experience, it exists in almost every park, either outside of peak season, peak hour, or sometimes just a short distance off the main thoroughfares. The majority of people don't go beyond the easiest viewpoints.

[Angostura]

I'm from the UK and about 10 years ago, took a side trip to one of the redwood forests outside SF. It was packed near the carpark, but wonderfully quiet about 20 minutes walk away.

[Gibbon1]

That's the joke. Walk half a mile from the parking lot and it's only you bears and Germans.