Just over a year ago, in November 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service introduced a proposal that would define fixed anchors as “installations,” which are prohibited in Wilderness areas. In effect, this would have made climbing all but illegal across wilderness-designated public lands. Along with anchors, bolts, rap rings, slung trees, irrevocably stuck nuts, pitons, and any climbing gear left behind would qualify as an “installation.”
This would have dramatically changed the face of iconic climbing areas, from Yosemite, the Black Canyon, and Wyoming’s Wind River Range, to Joshua Tree and Rocky Mountain National Park. After the NPS and Forest Service introduced its draft proposal, concerned citizens submitted some 10,000 comments during the 60-day comment period. You can learn more about what the proposal entailed and its implications here.
But after a year of vigorous advocacy from The Access Fund and the climbing community, on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the NPS withdrew its proposal.
In tandem with its efforts to appeal to the NPS, the Access Fund also advocated for the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC). This bipartisan act is designed to protect “standard and sustainable Wilderness climbing activities,” according to the Access Fund. As part of the greater EXPLORE Act, the intent is to protect recreational access, make recreational policy improvements, and support communities that act as gateways to recreation. While this bill remains under consideration in Congress, NPS’s decision to call off its climbing proposal relieves the pressure, especially as Congress goes out of session before the holidays.
This end to a year-long effort to protect Wilderness climbing access comes as welcome news to many in the climbing community. But the Access Fund reminds us that it’s not time to become complacent. What happens next? Access Fund Executive Director Heather Thornes says it’s “up to us as climbers.” She advises, “We must exercise restraint, humility, and respect as we climb in these amazing Wilderness areas to ensure that they remain accessible for generations to come.”
Note: This is a developing story and we will update it with more information and insights as they become available.
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