Yosemite Rock Towers Disruptive to Wildlife, Rangers Allow Takedowns by Hikers

Yosemite National Park rangers have permitted hikers and visitors to remove rock towers or cairns because they disturb wildlife.

Rock Towers are Yosemite Violations

Hikers who see enormous stacks of rocks heaped on top of one another are instructed by Yosemite National Park Service rangers to knock them down.

The cairns are made of rocks, and Yosemite National Park stated recently on Facebook that the unnatural structures violate the "Leave No Trace" principles that visitors are expected to follow while in the area.

Regardless of how it makes a person feels, Yosemite officials have given the go-ahead to remove them.

Some might have believed the rock towers enhanced the splendor of a national park, or some might have thought the cairns were an annoyance because they were sabotaging an ideal nature shot.

The national park said that a large cairn was a sign of human impact and was disruptive in a wilderness environment, as emphasized in one of their recent videos.

Additionally, creating rock cairns upsets the tiny insects, reptiles, and bacteria that live on the underside.

Leave No Trace Campaign

The National Park Service's wilderness ethics code, which includes the Leave No Trace philosophy, asks visitors to follow guidelines that will preserve the natural setting of the park while enjoying their stay.

The park receives roughly 1.7 million people annually on average between June and August, therefore observing these regulations is essential.

After all the rain California has received this year, attractions like Yosemite Falls are expected to flow continuously, which may draw even more tourists to the park.

Trail navigation can occasionally be aided by rock cairns by "pointing" walkers in the right direction.

Requests for comment regarding how visitors should distinguish between visitor- and ranger-made cairns were not immediately answered by the park.

Rock cairns are excellent for navigation, travel safety, and defining a new or challenging track when used properly, according to a later explanation from the park.

Generally, only park rangers and trail maintenance personnel should build rock cairns, SFGate reported.

Leave No Trace, as defined by The National Park Service, entails being proactive and prepared, traveling and camping only on stable surfaces, properly disposing of waste, maintaining the integrity of any ecosystems, minimizing the effects of campfires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate towards other visitors.

Rock Cairns in Other National Parks

However, it is not necessary to destroy every rock cairn in every national park.

Speaking on behalf of the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Karen Garthwait requests that tourists refrain from altering the current rock towers by destroying them, enhancing them, or constructing new ones because doing so could result in other visitors becoming disoriented in the desert.

Garthwait advised against people making their own sculptures out of rocks they find and gather.

Garthwait concurs that visitors who construct their own rock cairns may also unintentionally harm the ecosystem of the area. Garthwait warned that collecting pebbles off-trail could harm delicate biocrusts and disturb the habitat of animals, Your Central Valley reported.