Climbing, once an obscure activity with few participants, has become a mainstream form of outdoor recreation. Climbing occurs in unique environmental settings such as cliff sides, canyons, and alpine areas, which can also harbor valuable natural and cultural resources. These unique settings also present land managers with distinctive challenges. Climbing activities take place primarily off-trail, away from developed facilities, and historically have had little oversight by land managers or owners. Given the ever-growing popularity of climbing and other outdoor recreation activities, potential impacts on resource values must be considered and appropriate management actions taken.
This section provides only a brief overview of climbing access issues. For a detailed impact analysis and subsequent climbing management guidelines, we encourage you to download our comprehensive guide, which outlines successful climbing management practices that provide for climbing access while protecting resource values:
Climbing Management: A Guide to Climbing Issues and the Development of a Climbing Management Plan
