Quiet Parks Movement Allows Travelers To Experience True Silence

In recent years a growing number of travelers have experienced Dark Sky Parks around the world. A new growing trend is the Quiet Parks movement which allows travelers to experience pure silence on their vacation. Read on to find out where you can experience only the sounds of nature and birds in a Quiet Park.

The Quiet Parks movement

Travel is normally about excitement, adventure, new experiences and meeting new people. However, a new, growing trend is the Quiet Parks movement. While Dark Sky Parks are about remote locations with little light pollution for stargazers, there is now an auditory equivalent. However, it isn’t always easy to find somewhere without any man-made noise, even sometimes in the middle of nowhere.

Meanwhile, the Quiet Park movement isn’t just about travelers; it is also about how noise pollution affects wildlife. A study by researchers at Colorado State University in 2017 found that noise pollution, caused by air traffic, nearby roads, logging, mining and urban settlements are pervasive across the USA.

This is even the case in protected areas and designated wilderness spots. While humans sometimes need peace and quiet, noise pollution is much worse for wildlife that relies on the sounds of their environment to survive.

How the movement started

Gordon Hempton, the author of the book One Square Inch of Silence is the one who started the Quiet Parks Movement. His organization, Quiet Parks International (QPI) seeks to protect the few places where people can experience relatively pure silence and just the sounds of nature.

Now, the hope is that the parks will attract travelers, just as the dark sky parks do. They will be given the opportunity to take a short break from the constant human-related noise. Let’s take a look at the best destinations in the world to find peace and quiet.

One Wilderness Quiet Park

So far, the first and only official “wilderness quiet park” that has been certified by QPI is on the Zabalo River in Ecuador. According to the organization’s website, this area has what is deemed “a healthy balance of bioacoustic activity with … noise-free intervals lasting several hours.

The organization hopes that by giving the Zabalo River area quiet park status, it will eventually become a tourism draw to benefit the local indigenous Cofán tribe that owns the land.

However, while this is the first official Quiet Park destination, QPI has identified a number of potential wilderness areas around the world. Most are in designated natural areas with minimal artificial light sources, like the Dark Sky parks. Each is located away from major traffic noise and established flight patterns. Each has land that is unlikely to create noise, i.e. away from mining and agricultural areas.

Potential Quiet Parks

Potential new Quiet Parks in the USA include the Craters of the Moon in Idaho, Hovenweep National Monument, Canyonlands National Park in Utah and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Potential Quiet Parks in Europe are found in places like the Pirin National Park in Bulgaria, Snowdonia National Park and the Brecon Beacons in Wales, UK.

Meanwhile, other potential sites include the striking Skeleton Coast of Namibia, Manu National Park in Peru and the Garajonay National Park in Spain’s Canary Islands. Meanwhile, there is also the appropriately named Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, India. Should QPI’s site visit show that these meet the criteria, they could all be designated Quiet Parks in the future.

Urban Quiet Parks

Obviously, the best way to escape the noise is to head out into the wilderness. However, if QPI’s plans work out, a number of urban quiet parks could be certified or established. These parks would be near, or within, major cities, set aside as noise pollution-free spaces.

Currently, there are four urban Quiet Parks to be found around the world. These are Hampstead Heath in London, Yangmingshan National Park in Taiwan and Dender-Mark Quiet Area in Flanders, Belgium. Another example is the Parque del Montnegre y el Corredor in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, in Stockholm, Sweden, a pilot program has revealed 65 “calm places” in the city and its surroundings. Moreover, there are 11 walking paths with “quiet trails” signposts, all easily accessible by bus, metro, bicycle or on foot from the city center.

With the current world, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and now, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, people truly need to find some peace and quiet away from it all.