Fires should be burned down to ash or very small coals. If you are not sure the fire is out, pour water over the ashes and stir. Clean fire rings so that they will be ready for the next visitor. Ashes may be scattered by hand widely over vegetated ground where they will mimic the remnants of a naturally occurring forest fire. Human impacts to a fragile environment.
Eroded trails divert water from natural drainage areas and increase soil loss and erosion.
The displacement or removal of rocks and vegetation can exacerbate the natural effect of freeze, thaw, wind and water activity and produce an expanding circle of erosion. Human waste and trash does not decompose easily at high altitude and pollutes lakes and streams. Collecting firewood at high elevations robs the soil of key nutrients. All rights reserved.