{"id":1315,"date":"2026-08-03T11:36:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315"},"modified":"2026-08-03T11:36:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:36:30","slug":"a-battle-over-rock-climbing-exposes-a-bigger-crisis-in-americas-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315","title":{"rendered":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This story was originally published by\u00a0<\/em>High Country News\u00a0and is reproduced here as part of the\u00a0<\/em>Climate Desk\u00a0collaboration.<\/em><\/p>

Read more Environmentalists Are Rolling Their Eyes at Trump\u2019s \u201cRatepayer Protection Pledge\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

A decades-long<\/span> debate over how to manage wilderness climbing may be nearing a close. Land-management agencies, including the US Forest Service and agencies within the Department of Interior, released draft guidance in mid-June on the use of permanent anchors\u2014basically metal points of attachment for ropes\u2014in wilderness areas, as directed by Congress\u2019 2025 Protecting America\u2019s Rock Climbing (PARC) Act.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people and user types are vying for the same piece of real estate, and climbers are part of that,\u201d said Erik Murdock, deputy director of programs, policy and government affairs at the Access Fund, a nonprofit that advocates for climbing access and environmental conservation. The new guidance helps secure climbers\u2019 place in the mix, he said. But some wilderness advocates argue that it too loosely regulates uses that violate the Wilderness Act\u2019s intention. Even though climbing has long been a popular activity in designated wilderness areas, and, in many places, it predates their creation, the Wilderness Act generally prohibits permanent infrastructure\u2014and this is where the controversy arises.<\/p>\n

When climbers scale a rock wall, they periodically place protective devices in the rock face to secure their ropes so they can be safely caught if they fall. They may also do so at the top of a route, so that they can rappel back down. There are a variety of ways to do this, and certain kinds of protection\u2014such as spring-loaded cams that can expand to fit in a crack along the route\u2014are removable. But others are permanent, or \u201cfixed,\u201d anchors. On long stretches without cracks to place gear, for example, climbers might drill bolts directly into the rock to attach metal loops called hangers. Where there are small cracks, they might hammer in a small spike with a loop at one end, called a piton. Or they might install ropes or slings around a boulder, tree, or other object and leave them there to enable a safe descent by rappel.<\/p>\n

The rules proposed in June for these permanent fixtures vary by agency. The National Park Service, for example, would require climbers to seek special-use permits or broad permission from a superintendent before drilling new bolts. But climbers on Bureau of Land Management land could place a small number of bolts without authorization. The Forest Service, which manages half of the country\u2019s public-land climbing,\u00a0directs local offices to work with climbers\u00a0and climbing groups to create management plans for wilderness and non-wilderness climbing areas. While Murdock and other climbers quibble with some of the details, he said they were \u201coverall workable policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others worry that the new guidance could initiate a climbing free-for-all in the country\u2019s last protected spaces. Several Forest Service regional offices have lost many or all of their wilderness staff over the past 18 months to deferred resignations and cuts by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. They likely lack the capacity to create new plans or monitor new and existing routes that contain permanent anchors, said Dana Johnson, policy director with the Montana-based environmental nonprofit Wilderness Watch. \u201cWe\u2019re squeezing wildlife into smaller and smaller pockets of protected space,\u201d she said, \u201cand we have a lot of people waiting in line for more access.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno Says Max Miller is Unfit to Hold Office<\/a><\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s concerns mirror those of some Biden administration officials. Fears of damaging protected areas through\u00a0overcrowding and using too many permanent bolts\u00a0led the administration to propose a national directive in 2023\u00a0prohibiting new fixed anchors in all wilderness areas and requiring review of existing climbing routes. Two years later, Congress reversed that course with the PARC Act, which codified recreational climbing\u2014including using, placing, and maintaining fixed anchors\u2014as an appropriate use in wilderness areas.<\/p>\n

But the fight over permanent anchors misses the bigger issue, said Zach Lentsch, who owns\u00a0Wyoming Mountain Guides\u00a0and frequently takes clients into designated wilderness areas. Hikers, backpackers, and other quiet recreationists also contribute to wilderness overcrowding, he pointed out. Places like Lonesome Lake near the famous Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range\u00a0contain dangerous levels of\u00a0E. coli<\/em>\u00a0from human poop, for example, and banning a narrow use like fixed anchors would never solve that problem. Instead, he argued, agencies should work with all wilderness users to create permit systems to limit use where needed, or require campers to use special bags to contain and pack out their feces. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not a climber, it might seem like climbers are going out there willy-nilly and putting ugly hardware into the walls,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are plenty of places in the wilderness where you don\u2019t need a fixed anchor, and typically the ethic has been if you don\u2019t need a fixed anchor, you don\u2019t bring one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The public comment period on the Forest Service proposal ended July 20, and the Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service comment periods end August 14.<\/p>

Read more \u201cThe ICE Agent Behind Me Grabbed the Back of My Shirt and Just Threw Me Like a Sack of Trash\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Climbers concerned about safety are pitted against wilderness advocates worried about overcrowding and unfettered bolting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment"],"yoast_head":"\nA Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Climbers concerned about safety are pitted against wilderness advocates worried about overcrowding and unfettered bolting.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving and Mortgage Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/662472b1683e6a194445ca0ccf9b3fea-1024x575.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"575\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2\"},\"headline\":\"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315\"},\"wordCount\":895,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315\",\"name\":\"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?p=1315#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moving and Mortgage Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movingandmortgagehub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub","og_description":"Climbers concerned about safety are pitted against wilderness advocates worried about overcrowding and unfettered bolting.","og_url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315","og_site_name":"Moving and Mortgage Hub","article_published_time":"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":575,"url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/662472b1683e6a194445ca0ccf9b3fea-1024x575.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2"},"headline":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness","datePublished":"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315"},"wordCount":895,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp","articleSection":["Environment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315","url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315","name":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness - Moving and Mortgage Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-03T11:36:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/84c8157ab003231cfe6b4652af2bdf19.webp","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?p=1315#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Battle Over Rock Climbing Exposes a Bigger Crisis in America\u2019s Wilderness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/","name":"Moving and Mortgage Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b7c79bcfd888d98f34c5413df7e81a2","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movingandmortgagehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}