Arches National Park - Important!

[Iceaxe]

I was asked by the rangers at Arches to pass along the following information to the canyoneering community...

This week staff had the opportunity to monitor Tierdrop and found something very out of place at the bottom of the last rappel. Someone(s) had taken the time to build a very unsightly rock cairn about 4' wide x 4' high with some good size rocks . We want to remind canyoneers that we discourage our visitors from building rock cairns as they can be mistaken for trail makers leading folks off route. It was strange but this cairn was off the main trail, under the rappel, and was not created as a marker but for entertainment. The creation of this size cairn is an obvious disturbance of natural resources due to the impact caused by footprints which led in every direction to where the rocks were taken from their natural resting place. If a cairn of this size is built again in an obviously inappropriate place, we ask canyoneers to please disperse the rocks. Just as graffiti breeds graffiti, a rock cairn beckons another rock to be added.

A good size social trail was also noted on the way down the gully to exit into the major wash system. Folks decided not to make the small move into the drainage and instead walked along the ledge and down the slope creating quite a bit of new resource damage. An easy bouldering move is required to get down the drainage but this move is no harder then anything in the gully entrance. This route is the way down with the least soil disturbance. Park recommends off-trail travel to be in dry washes and on rock only. Canyoneers should be advised the exit of this route can be done all on slickrock and in washes. There is a small portion in a boulder field when exiting off the ledge system that will take them to the beginning of the drainage that leads to the major wash system. Staff has marked this exit with small cairns in hopes that the social trailing will stop. These cairns marking the exit should not be added to or confused with the large rock cairn that was made under the rappel.

Park staff also monitored Lomatium and were please to see the lack of brightly colored webbing around the tree at the first rappel and at Abbey Arch. Abbey Arch did not have any webbing left on it which means the last party in there most likely used retrievable anchors. We appreciate this.

Please remember, canyoneers should make every attempt to adhere to the Leave No Trace ethics, especially when traveling in larger groups. It will take the entire canyoneering community to help uphold the park's mission, "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."

Thank you and be safe,
Arches Park Staff

[rockgremlin]

This week staff had the opportunity to monitor Tierdrop....Park staff also monitored Lomatium....

Boy that must be a tough job.

[Brian in SLC]

Hmmm...take away? Big rock stacks = bad.

[Iceaxe]

Hmmm...take away? Big rock stacks = bad.

You could add clean up after others if canyoneers want to avoid restrictions in Arches NP.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[ilipichicuma]

Yeah, I saw that back when we did Tierdrop on President's Day. I didn't know why the heck someone would make that, as it's right at the landing of the rappel and you can't really stand on it and it's in your way. It didn't even occur to me to take it down, though, I guess I thought it was there for some reason. I guess I need to change my thinking a little in that regard.

[Cr8on]

A few friends and I started a little thing called CAPCa a few years back. It stands for Crusaders Against Pointless Cairns. Every time we come across something that looks pointless we "this is sparta" kick it over while yelling CAPCa! I invite all to join in this crusade...

[Iceaxe]

Every time my kids see a cairn they point to it and say "look dad, someone else was also lost".

[moab mark]

When we went thru Lomatium at the Fest there was not a stitch of webbing anywhere.

[Rob L]

Not even holding up your trousers?