climbing areas in need

The sustained growth of climbing as an outdoor pursuit has put strain on popular climbing areas around the country. There are literally thousands of climbing areas in the United States, though the brunt of the impact occurs on several hundred of the most popular areas. As the sport continues to increase in popularity, unacceptable levels of impact could ultimately lead to partial or full closures. Many areas are in desperate need of expert trail building and multi-year stewardship plans.

Last year the Access Fund supported over 160 stewardship days throughout the nation, under our flagship stewardship program, Adopt a Crag. These Adopt a Crag events, hosted by local climbers, focus on a variety of projects, including trail rehabilitation, visual impact mitigation, invasive weed removal, litter clean-up, and vegetation restoration at climbing areas on both public and private land. This type of volunteerism is critical in protecting our natural resources.

However, volunteers need help in creating and executing multi-year stewardship plans to ensure their volunteer events are most effective. The Conservation Team provides on-the-ground leadership, working with volunteers to think about climbing areas holistically, recognize areas of concern, and address them before issues become dire.