Backpacking in Arches National Park currently is banned while a natural resources impact study is prepared, and the Devils Garden Campground will be closed from March through October due to road work in the park/Kurt Repanshek
Backpacking permits have been placed on hold in Arches National Park in Utah, where officials want to study whether the existing program is sufficiently protecting natural resources in the red-rock park.
According to park officials, over the past decade the annual number of backpacking permits has increased dramatically. "Given this increase, we implemented a moratorium to evaluate whether current backcountry use allows for adequate protection of park resources," a park release said.
Park officials hope the study, which started last fall, will lead to new backcountry overnight regulations later this year. They note that the temporary hold affects only overnight backcountry trips, and that day-hiking continues to be allowed in the backcountry.
Front country camping at Devils Garden Campground will also be impacted this year, from March 1 through the end of October, as road work in the park will require the campground's closure. Construction crews will work on the entire 26-mile park road system. Areas, roads, and trails will close during construction. Road work will begin at Devils Garden and will gradually move toward the park entrance as work progresses.
That road work will carry impacts for all visitors, whether hiking or simply exploring the park's front country. If Arches is on your vacation planner this year, you might consider Canyonlands National Park next door, or wait until November to visit.
Comments
The national parks (and so many other outdoor spaces) were absolutely mobbed last year. It was insane. I'm a "heavy user" of parks since I live near a few, and there were hours long lineups to get in, and just a staggering amount of people on the trails. I know there were a lot of complaints about that--that the NPS isn't adequately managing crowds and the wilderness experience. No one wants to plan a vacation to a park and go to the effort of backpacking just to be surrounded by other people. I think a lot of parks are in the middle of trying to get a handle on the increased crowds. It sounds like Arches was overwhelmed and needs to figure out how to better manage backcountry use. Resource damage lasts a long time, better to shut it down and figure it out than to let it continue unabashed.
As for concessioner guided backpacking trips...the only place I've ever heard of these is Yosemite. There aren't any in the parks that I regularly visit. I think it's very rare in the west.
Excellent, Tomp and Kelly. But you're probably confusing some folks by laying out facts. Let's see what kind of responses you get.
Our parks have been blindsided by the explosion in visitiation. It's a matter of trying to figure out how to manage stampedes of visitors while still meeting the most important management mandate: Conserving Unimpaired For Future Generations.
On top of that, most parks are trying to keep up with all this and the other demands placed upon park managers by Acts Of Congress and Political Pressures from myriad sources and you have a situation that would baffle Solomon.
Moderator, the comment thread on here is why I cringe coming to this site. I know you ran a poll a while back, but please, please, please, reconsider getting rid of comments on your articles. Instead, use some of these "human" resources and maybe hold a moderated round table one e in a while. The mudslinging and name calling are a huge distraction from the news on this site.