On a recent cold and rainy morning at Zion National Park in Southern Utah, Andrew Smith and Blake Cubria throw a blue tarp on top of their tent to keep the water out. They鈥檙e in the midst of an impromptu vacation out West that began after they both lost their restaurant jobs in Chicago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淲e just packed up,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e kind of spontaneous. We hit the road and drove through Colorado and Utah and checked out the landscape.鈥�

They鈥檝e never been in the West before and they wanted to see the mountains. Besides, it beat being holed up in Chicago worrying about COVID-19.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to enjoy our life and not freak out too much,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淪pend a week up in the parks and then go back home and hopefully everything goes back to normal.鈥�

These guys aren鈥檛 alone. As the novel coronavirus spreads across the country, many folks are flocking to the outdoors. The Trump administration has even made national parks, national monuments and other popular recreation areas free during the pandemic. 

This instinct to 鈥渉ead for the hills鈥� during a pandemic makes sense, according to David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. 

鈥淥ne of the reasons people are probably escaping is that they鈥檙e getting back to their evolutionary history,鈥� said Strayer.

We humans evolved in natural spaces so being in them is good for our mental health, especially during a crisis. 

鈥淲alking around, smelling the fresh air, having the sunlight 鈥� our bodies very clearly react to that in terms of the light, in terms of reductions in stress,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e can measure that very clearly.鈥�

But you also don鈥檛 have to travel far to receive the benefits of nature during the pandemic, Strayer said. A long walk outside or a hike in the nearby foothills can do the trick. 

Still, a continuous stream of tourists are driving hundreds of miles to visit public lands and national parks, including Arches and Canyonlands near Moab, Utah 鈥� much to the chagrin of local health officials, who are worried about out-of-towners bringing COVID-19. 

鈥淚 just really, strongly encourage people 鈥� don鈥檛 take this as a vacation, take it as a pandemic,鈥� said Dylan Cole, chief medical officer at Moab Regional Hospital. 

Visiting national parks does not lend itself to social distancing, much less self-quarantine, especially when it requires traveling for hours in a car, Cole stresses. Visitors are stopping for gas, grabbing food at grocery stores and potentially bringing the novel coronavirus to rural gateway communities 鈥� areas that often don鈥檛 have a lot of medical equipment or enough hospital beds to take care of a surge in patients. So Cole is urging tourists to stay at home 鈥� even some of his own friends and family. 

鈥淚鈥檝e had people that know me from all over texting or reaching out and saying, 鈥榃ait, does this mean I鈥檓 not supposed to come down there for my biking trip?鈥� And it鈥檚 like, 鈥楿h, that鈥檚 exactly what it means,鈥欌€� he said. 

Local health officials in the Moab area have ordered hotels, restaurants and bars to shutter and banned camping on public and private lands surrounding the town. Some local national park superintendents in the region have restricted services and even closed their park鈥檚 gates altogether. 

But as of March 23, the gates of Zion National Park 鈥� which sees millions of visitors every month 鈥� remained open. 

College student Sam Barker was there with his friends hiding from the rain underneath a wooden shelter. They鈥檙e from Atlanta and began their trip out West before the pandemic got really serious in the U.S. Now Barker is worried about flying home and potentially infecting his parents. 

鈥淚 think after this trip I鈥檓 not going back to my house where my parents are,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 probably going straight to my apartment, which is a couple of hours away, and quarantine.鈥�

But other visitors weren鈥檛 as concerned about COVID-19. 

鈥淚 refuse to bow to the fear,鈥� said Kristi Anderson. 鈥淟et鈥檚 just go and enjoy creation and remember how big God is because he鈥檚 bigger than whatever nonsense is going on.鈥�

Anderson and her family travelled to Zion from Durango, Colo. She鈥檚 putting her faith in God and doesn鈥檛 know whether the world is overreacting to the pandemic or not. 

鈥淚 have no idea,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t could be an overreaction, but what if it turns out to be as horrible as they all say it is? It could be a huge underreaction.鈥� 

It鈥檚 important to note that people can be asymptomatic and still carry COVID-19. That鈥檚 why health experts are strongly urging everyone to stay away from the Mountain West鈥檚 overcrowded national parks. 

And again, as Strayer noted, you don鈥檛 need to head for the hills if you want a dose of the outdoors. 

鈥淣ature is just right next door, if you look for it,鈥� he said. 

This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada, the O鈥機onnor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado. Follow Nate Hegyi on Twitter .

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