His warning comes after attempts to make the UNESCO World Heritage site more inclusive have sparked a series of rows with conservationists.
The authority is facing a High Court judicial review in the New Year over its refusal to ban 4x4 vehicles from some fell trails, while Keswick Town Council has passed a vote of no confidence in it over the creation of a tarmac path through woodland.
But Richard Leafe, the park authority's long-standing chief executive, told Sky News that to ensure continued public funding the national park must adapt in small ways.
"We need to be able to sell the national park to everybody in Britain, all society, and it's important that it doesn't just become exclusive to one single use group," he said.
"The moment we get into that position I think national parks start to lose their relevance and therefore the very reason for calling it a national park and spending public money."
Research shows visitors to the Lake District, where the rugged fells inspired the romantic poets and author Beatrix Potter, are too heavily weighted towards older, able-bodied white people...<<<Read The Full Article Here>>>...