Officials consider changes after ‘crazy tourists’ overcrowd a popular New Hampshire trail

"Someone came down crying because they had been so scared with the sheer amount of people at the top."

There is an ugly side to one of New Hampshire’s most scenic hiking trails this fall season, say local hikers.

The popular Artist’s Bluff Trail in Franconia Notch State Park was overcrowded with “crazy tourists” this past weekend, wrote hiker Tamara Breau on a New Hampshire Facebook page. The short, scenic hike with sweeping views has been called “the Instagram capital of the world.” The parking area’s 1,500 spaces were full on Saturday and Sunday for most of the day, according to officials.

“People were shoving, going off trail, climbing, and leaving trash,” wrote Breau. “Someone came down crying because they had been so scared with the sheer amount of people at the top.”

Breau called the experience “dangerous” and criticized park officials for lack of supervision. The story has been reported by NBC10 Boston, The Boston Globe, The New York Post, and The Daily Mail.

The New Hampshire State Parks and Cannon Mountain released a joint statement about the incident, saying the NH Division of Parks & Recreation staff expected a spike in visitation and “was prepared with hiker interaction staff, providing parking and traffic control measures, engaging with visitors, and operating a shuttle service to other areas throughout the park,” according to the statement.

“The majority of the crowding and congestion was isolated to a few locations within the park, and the Division of Parks and Recreation will be reviewing existing management strategies, including expanded parking, shuttle services, prearrival communications, and collaborative stewardship with our partners to be sure we can accommodate everyone who wants to visit,” officials wrote.

Shuva Paul, 35, from Dover, N.H., hiked Artist’s Bluff on Oct. 5 to avoid the holiday weekend crowds and called the activity “risky,” saying to the Globe, “When I went to the view point, I felt like there was no space that I could stand there.”

About 40 percent of October’s 60,000 paid visitors at Franconia Notch State Park have used the advanced reservation system for attractions such as the Aerial Tramway and Flume Gorge, an 11 percent increase over last year, noted officials in the statement. However, the Artist’s Bluff Trail and other trailhead parking areas are free and not part of the reservation system.

“Generally, this is not an issue outside of a few high visitation days in the fall season,” reads the statement.

Jace Wirth, the general manager at Franconia Notch State Park and Cannon Mountain, told the Globe the state park is considering charging a parking fee or selling timed-entry tickets in an effort to control the crowds.

About 3.7 million people are expected to visit New Hampshire this fall season, according to the Division of Travel and Tourism.

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.