Stumbled upon an off-limits alpine meadow during my trek

I was following a map to a high lake. The route cut through a meadow marked as protected. Other backpackers had made a visible path through it. I had to choose between damaging the area or finding another way. It took extra effort, but I circled around to avoid harm.

3 comments

3 Comments

hugom401mo ago

Good on you for going around. Saw the same thing last summer on a ridge trail, a bunch of people cut a switchback straight through a slope full of wildflowers. Took the long way even though my legs were dead. Those shortcuts cause erosion and wreck plant life for years. It sucks adding time but protecting the spot is the whole point. More people need to have that mindset.

avery_fox19d ago

Ever wonder why they build trails with all those turns anyway? I used to think it was just to make the hike longer, but seeing a spot like what simons12 described, that big pit where the ferns were, really flipped a switch for me. It's not about the trail crew being lazy, it's literally holding the ground together. Now I look at a switchback and just see a dirt wall that really doesn't want to be a landslide.

simons121mo ago

That part about wrecking plant life for years is so true. It reminds me of this one trail near me where people kept walking off the side to avoid a puddle. Now there's a huge, ugly, eroded pit full of red dirt where there used to be ferns. It's a total mess for no good reason.