Down on the Mountains: Rockies, Rainier and Tetons Out of Elite 8

Parks Madness Bracket

A national parks competition

Shenandoah National Park Photo by Kristin Repchick

Powerhouse Parks Continue Their March as All No. 1 Seeds Advance to Elite 8 in 2024 Parks Madness competition

BETHESDA, MD, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Only one mountain proved high enough for Parks Madness 2024 as Great Smoky Mountains National Park staved off a spirited effort from Shenandoah to move into the Elite 8. Voters came out strong for No. 1 Seeds Yellowstone, Yosemite, Acadia and Zion, but the air proved too thin for the Rocky Mountains, Grand Tetons and even Mount Rainier – all sent packing.

Going into the Sweet 16 of the Parks Channel competition, the No. 2 Great Smokies seemed a safe bet against No. 6 Shenandoah, with a visitation advantage of 13.3 million to 1.6 million. But Shenandoah hiked into an early lead thanks to fans who complained that its seeding was “way too low!” One pointed out: “Shenandoah vs. the Smokies is a bitter Blue Ridge rivalry that dates back to the Ice Age, literally!” In the waning hours the Smokies finally cleared the bear jam and went home a winner, 52-48%.

No one could blame No. 2 seed Rocky Mountain National Park for wanting to get high after just coming up short against No. 3 Arches, which – it turned out – would bend but not break. In the second closest match of the Sweet 16, the Utah park stretched and finally held a tight lead, winning 54-46%. The other No. 2-seeded mountain, Rainier, got outclassed by No. 3 Grand Canyon, 65-35%.

The most hotly debated Sweet 16 matchup was No. 1 Yellowstone against No. 5 Grand Teton, which are only an hour’s drive away from each other in Wyoming. One fan predicted “The John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway series between Yellowstone and Grand Teton will be an instant classic.” Another said: “I give a slight edge to GT for being a big source of my love for the parks system, but you really can’t go wrong either way.” In the end voters could not resist Old Faithful, giving Yellowstone a 59-41% win.

The round was a wet blanket for the tree-hugging community, which saw both No. 7 Redwood and No. 4 Sequoia fall, to Glacier and Yosemite. Heaven could wait for No. 1 Zion, which fluttered past No. 5 Mesa Verde, 74-26%. And No. 1 seed Acadia spanked the Badlands, 59-41%.

For full results, visit https://theparkschannel.com.

Elite 8 voting begins today and features colossal clashes:

No. 1 Yellowstone vs. No. 3 Glacier – America’s first national park steams into battle against the “the Crown of the Continent.”

No. 1 Yosemite vs. No. 3 Grand Canyon – expect some trash talk from No. 1, known as “Big Mouth” by the indigenous Ahwahneechee.

No. 1 Acadia vs. No. 3 Arches – the first national park cobbled together from private donations takes on the home of Delicate Arch, once known as “Old Maid’s Bloomers.”

No. 1 Zion vs. No. 2 Great Smokies – the ancient home of the Anasazi takes on the park native Cherokee called “place of the blue smoke.”

To submit ballots, visit https://theparkschannel.com.

The remaining schedule for Parks Madness:

• Elite 8 voting ends at midnight ET on April 9

• Final 4 announced on April 10

• Championship announced on April 13

• 2024 National Park Champion declared on April 16

ABOUT THE PARKS CHANNEL

The Parks Channel is a new platform for “America’s Best Idea” – at home, on the journey and for making memories. Our mobile-optimized website, theparkschannel.com, features over 500 curated and geotagged videos, enabling visitors to discover amazing places to go, informed by park superfans and others dedicated to public lands. Users can create their own pages, unlock park badges by submitting content and create curated gear checklists for travel based on where they want to go and what they like to do. Coming soon, Parks Channel will be available as an advertising-supported free app on connected TVs.

Alanna Zahn Davis
The Azure Group for Parks Channel
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