Mossy Cave Trail in Bryce Canyon selected as 2022 Hot Spot
Aug 5, 2022, 4:30 PM
Leave No Trace has selected Mossy Cave Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park as a 2022 Hot Spot. Photo Credit: Ray Grass/Deseret Morning News.
BRYCE CANYON CITY, Utah — Bryce Canyon’s Mossy Cave Trail has been chosen as a 2022 Hot Spot by the Leave No Trace Organization. To celebrate, a Leave No Trace Team will work with the National Park Service from Aug. 25 to Aug. 29 to provide information and service work to reduce the impact humans have on the trail.
Physical Scientist for Bryce Canyon National Park Tyra Olstad called Mossy Cave a beautiful and unique feature in an already beautiful and unique broader landscape.
“We want people to be able to enjoy visiting [it] for generations to come,” she said in a press release.
What is a 2022 Hot Spot?
According to the press release, the Leave No Trace Organization selects locations through a nationwide nominations process.
Leave No Trace said Hot spot contenders are popular outdoor areas across the country. They have experienced heavy recreational use and human-created impacts. This includes damage to vegetation, excessive trash, trail erosion, and disturbance to wildlife.
Mossy Cave Trail is one of many chosen as a 2022 Hot Spot.
“Hot Spot locations are heavily damaged, but can recover with the help of a motivated community and an encompassing infusion of Leave No Trace programming,” said Dana Watts, Executive Director of the Leave No Trace organization in the press release.
“Centered around training, these efforts include a series of targeted workshops for local land managers, partners, and volunteers, as well as community outreach events for the public conducted by expert Leave No Trace educators.”
The goal of a Hot Spot
Watts said Leave No Trace aims to put Hot Spots areas on the road to recovery. And, they offer guidance and recommendations for public lands across the planet.
According to Olstad, the immediate goal of Hot Spots is to find ways to mitigate recreation-related impacts. By doing so, she hopes to build a community.
“In the long run, we’re hoping to build a community of land managers, local residents, and visitors who are all good stewards of Mossy Cave, Bryce Canyon National Park, and beyond,” she said.
Upcoming activities at Mossy Cave
Many events are being held in August at Mossy Cave trail. Leave No Trace encourages people of all ages to attend.
They include:
- Aug. 26 — 2 to 4 p.m. — Create your own Leave No trace Pack out bag
- Aug. 26 — 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. — Water in the Desert: Geology and History of Mossy Cave
- Aug. 27 — 9 to 12 p.m. — Stewardship Service Project: Trash Pickup and Trail Impacts Survey
- Aug. 27 — 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. — How to be the Best Sasquatch You Can
- Aug. 28 — 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. — Ranger-guided walks at Mossy Cave
- Aug. 28 — 2 to 4 p.m. — Public & Visitor Outreach
