Hiking a desert park? Here’s how to help preserve the landscape
The vistas can stretch for miles, if not days. But while boundless panoramas get all the attention, one of the most remarkable assets of the region is not a point on the horizon, but the ground beneath your feet. Protecting this delicate ecosystem has become an urgent concern.
As travel returns, the upward trend in visitation at national parks is likely to continue, and with it, increased potential for bad behavior. Besides littering, last year’s crowds trespassed and even vandalized structures. But not all transgressions have to be as blatant to cause lasting environmental consequences.
“The most common instance I see with visitors is people going off trail,” says Sam Starns, a photographer and former park ranger. “It appears to be out of ignorance, but sometimes it feels intentional.”
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