Rules at National Parks
The United States has over 400 national parks, which are open to residents and tourists to explore, hike through, camp in, and enjoy all that nature has to offer.
Source: Wikimedia
Numerous rules are established in the parks to ensure the preservation of biodiversity and the natural habitat. When someone is caught breaking these rules, members of the public and park officers are quick to take action.
Arches National Park in Utah
Such an event recently unfolded at the Arches National Park in Utah, a region revered for its outstanding natural beauty and over 2,000 unique stone arches, rock fins, and giant balanced rocks, all of which are the work of nature.
Source: Wikimedia
The park is a popular tourist destination, which brings in around 1.5 million visitors each year.
Remain on the Trails at Arches
In several parts of the park, there are signs aiming to enforce certain rules, such as prohibiting tourists from steering off the trail.
Source: Inspired Imperfection
However, not everyone abides by these rules, and sometimes, they are caught in the act. One photographer recently captured several breaking the rules in Arches.
Signs Dotted Throughout the Park
Numerous signs, all throughout Arches National Park, read, “Stay on trails. Your steps matter. Protect park soils.”
Source: Wikimedia
Yet, during a walk, one Reddit user noticed several people had clearly dismissed a sign and proceeded to walk off the track.
Reddit User Shares Photo Online
The Reddit user who posted on the sub-group r/mildlyinfuriating shared a photograph of what appears to be six people standing in an off-limits part of the park.
Source: Freepik
Those in the photo later faced considerable criticism and abuse online for breaking the rules.
Saving the Ecosystem at Arches
The signs are placed throughout the park for a very specific reason: the ground at Arches is biological soil crust.
Source: Wikimedia
This means it’s an entire ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, mosses, algae, and lichen, all of which retain water and help prevent erosion.
Footprints Can Kill the Soil
Unfortunately, this means even a single footprint can kill the soil, and it may take up to 50 years for the ecosystem to grow back and strengthen.
Source: Freepik
This is why various parks in the US, such as Arches, place a multitude of signs along the trails to ensure visitors are aware of the consequences their actions may have.
National Parks Work to Preserve Ecosystem
National Parks such as Arches play an integral role in keeping American ecosystems healthy.
Source: Wikimedia
They maintain the landscape, provide clean water and air, and protect wildlife, all while giving humans a place to enjoy nature, and the rules within should be respected.
Stay on the Trails
Park officers and officials explain that staying on the trails is one way everyone can do their part to ensure the parks are around for future generations.
Source: Wikimedia
While the park’s employees do their best to police the trails as much as they can, not everyone abides by the rules on the signs. This has led to various incidents in the past, some of which killed parts of the soil.
Reddit Users Feeling Upset
Numerous users who read the Reddit thread were upset at the hikers’ decision to disobey the sign and disrupt the vital ecosystem by walking off track.
Source: r/mildlyinfuriating
“This is incredibly terrible. The soil is alive and delicate. It needs our protection,” wrote one Reddit user, clearly insisting that something must be done to ensure this doesn’t become a regular occurrence.
Raising Awareness About Soil Life
Another user commented on the lack of awareness surrounding the soil life under the post, writing, “I spoke to some of the park rangers about this.”
Source: Wikimedia
They continued, “The soil ‘life’ is pretty destroyed in most of the popular spots. Awareness of the soil and its importance needs to be raised. People just don’t [realize] what they’re doing when they go off the path.”
For Safety and Preservation
One user suggested the rules are important for several reasons. “Sticking to the trail is both for your safety and for the health of the ecosystem around it,” they wrote.
Source: Freepik
Others shared their opinions on how park officials could better communicate their message. One user wrote, “They should just have a sign warning of venomous snakes if you stray from the path.”
Problems at Other Parks in the US
Despite the presence of signs throughout national parks, parkgoers continue to ignore the rules and often put themselves, the wildlife, and the ecosystems of the area in danger.
Source: Wikimedia
A similar event saw a group of tourists go beyond the trail’s boundaries at Maroon Bells Scenic Area in Colorado. The people blatantly ignored a sign which said the area was “closed for revegetation.”
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
A separate Reddit post shared a photograph of the tourist breaking the rules, with the caption, “This family completely ignored the ‘closed for revegetation’ signs, hopped over the rope and even got into the water at the Maroon Bells today.”
Source: Reddit
One user shared their thoughts under the post, writing, “This is why we can’t have nice things.”
Park Supervisors Struggle to Supervise Every Corner of the Park
Unfortunately, one problem is that many parks are understaffed and underfunded. This makes it difficult for supervisors to monitor everyone who enters the park. But this doesn’t stop volunteers from trying to ensure the park’s ecosystem remains healthy.
Source: Wikimedia
“There are a bunch of volunteers who are painstakingly re-establishing native plants in the trampled off-trail/path areas – thousands of manhours of work to restore and make the park what it once was and should be today,” one commenter wrote.
The Work of Volunteers
Numerous volunteers also work to re-establish native plants in the park.
Source: Grand Canyon National Park/Wikimedia Commons
“There are a bunch of volunteers who are painstakingly re-establishing native plants in the trampled off-trail/path areas – thousands of manhours of work to restore and make the park what it once was and should be today,” according to a comment on Reddit.
Incidents At Other Parks
Park rangers have to deal with more than just people wondering where they should be. While it may be difficult to believe, some tourists deliberately vandalize national parks.
Source: Reddit
One such event, which left locals horrified, occurred this year in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, located in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona.
Tourists Destroy National Park Rock Formation
On Sunday, April 7, 2024, two men were caught on camera destroying a rock formation on the Redstone Dunes Trail within the park.
Source: @FOX5LasVegas/YouTube
A video of the atrocious crime has since gone viral online, which shows several men breaking huge chunks of loose rock from an outcrop, leaving many viewers online disgusted with their actions.
National Park Calls For Information
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area posted an image of two men deliberately destroying the rock formation on its Facebook page in April.
Source: NPS.gov
The post reads: “US park rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area are seeking information from the public to identify two vandalism suspects seen here.”
Information That Could Help Investigators
The Park Service doesn’t take lightly to such malicious actions and is currently working with investigators to find the vandalism suspects.
Source: Freepik
“Information from visitors is often very helpful to investigators. If you were on the Redstone Dunes Trail on the evening of Sunday, April 7, 2024, or if you have information that could help identify the suspects, please submit a tip,” said the Park Service.
Men Deliberately Destroy Rock Formation
In the video that has since gone viral, a little girl, who’s clearly the daughter of one of the men, is heard screaming as the rocks plummet to the ground.
Source: @FOX5LasVegas/YouTube
“Daddy, don’t fall,” she cries out as the two men push numerous boulder parts over the edge and watch them tumble down to the ground below, per The Daily Mail.
Why Would Someone Want to Do This, Says Park Officer
Park officials have called the entire event a deliberate attempt to damage the park. Speaking with KVVU, John Haynes, a park public information officer, said, “It’s one of my favorite places in the park, and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that.”
Source: Wikimedia
He continued, “Why would you even do something like this? Like, why on Earth would you do this? This almost feels like a personal attack in a way.”
The Motives Behind Breaking Park Rules
Park officials are puzzled as to why the men would deliberately destroy a portion of the park. Others feel the same when it comes to breaking any rule within the parks, which are set in place to ensure the safety of the surrounding nature and tourists.
Source: Craig Dietrich/Wikimedia Commons
One thing is for sure: without the hard work of the park rangers and volunteers who care for nature and the rules they have established, the parks wouldn’t be the family-friendly locations they are, nor would they be as clean or safe.