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Enjoy, Don't Destroy | Minimum Impact Practices | Geology | Rivers
Enjoy, Don't Destroy is the guide post
for any type of touring or recreation in this desert and mountain environment. For though
they are adaptive, the varied landscapes of the Moab/Green River area are also fragile.
Cryptobiotic soil (aka
Cryptogamic crust) composed of millions of tiny organisms is the desert's living method of
protection from erosion. When you see it, Please Keep Off!
A careless foot or tire can destroy many years of protection and may negatively impact the
area forever. In both the mountains and desert be careful not to hinder vegetation or
contribute to unnatural erosion. Fires, campsites, and modes of transportation may all
have a detrimental effect on the landscape.
The Moab/Green River area also contains many remnants of ancient cultures such as rock art panels, dwellings and granaries, as well as more recent remains of pioneer ghost towns (see Ancient History). In many of these areas, visitors must follow special rules designed to protect natural and cultural resource values. Ask at agency offices and visitor centers if any special rules apply to the area you plan to visit.
Enjoy, Don't Destroy | Minimum Impact Practices | Geology | Rivers
1. Tread Lightly when traveling and leave no trace of your camping. Drive and ride only on roads and trails where such travel is allowed; hike only on established trails, on rock, or in washes. Camp at designated sites or, where allowed, at previously-used sites. Avoid placing tents on top of vegetation and use a camp stove instead of making a campfire. Unless signs indicate otherwise, leave gates open or closed as you find them.
2. Help keep Canyon Country clean. Pack out your trash and recycle it, clean up after less thoughtful visitors, and dispose of human waste properly.
3.
Protect and conserve scarce desert water sources. Camp at least 300 feet from
isolated water sources to allow for wildlife access. Where possible, carry your own
drinking water. Leave potholes undisturbed and wash well away from pools and springs.
4. Allow space for wildlife. When encountering wildlife, maintain your distance and remain quiet. Teach children not to chase or pickup animals. Keep pets under control.
5. Leave historic sites, Native American rock art, ruins and
artifacts untouched for the future. Admire rock art from a distance and never
touch it. Stay out of ruins, leave artifacts in place, and report violations.
Enjoy, Don't Destroy | Minimum Impact Practices | Geology | Rivers
The face of the land in this
region was formed by natural forces ranging from cataclysmic upthrusts to slow, patient
erosion by water, ice and wind. The mesas, buttes, arches and canyons of this area
continue to change as a result of this timeless erosional process. The rolling sandstone
has been worn smooth by tiny, constantly eroding grains, hence its nickname slick rock.
Nearly everywhere one looks in the Moab/Green River area there are strange eroded forms,
from the odd hummocks of rock rising out of the scrubby desert soil along 1-70 east of
Green River to the graceful soaring ribbons of stone at Arches National Park and the river
gorges, buttes, needles and grabens of Canyonlands National Park. The very history of the
earth is written here in stone layers of differing colors, and compositions, some of which
crumble at a touch and others that are seemingly unaffected by the forces of wind and
weather.
Enjoy, Don't Destroy | Minimum Impact Practices | Geology | Rivers
The Green and the Colorado Rivers and their tributaries have carved the face of this area. Their most dramatic work is evident from Canyonlands National Park's Island in the Sky District, a peninsula high above the rivers. The banks of the rivers have been natural gathering spots for settlement from ancient time to the present. The cities of Green River and Moab are both adjacent to rivers. Trappers may have used the rivers for transportation as early as the 1830's. Signatures and dates on river canyon walls provide evidence that the rivers were first systematically explored by modern or European men in the mid 1860's and 70's, during the expeditions of John Wesley Powell. Powell, a one-armed civil war veteran navigated the unknown twists, turns and roaring rapids of both the Green and Colorado Rivers in wooden boats. What he found captured the imagination of the country. Newspaper accounts of the dangers created interest and excitement. When his journals were published they fed a populous hungry for adventure. Beginning in the 1890's many attempts were made to use the Green and Colorado as shipping routes with boats powered by steam, gasoline, propellers and paddle wheels. Each of these efforts was confounded by the unpredictable, wild nature of the rivers.
Enjoy, Don't Destroy | Minimum Impact Practices | Geology | Rivers
From the Grand County Travel Council "Southeastern Utah Travel Guide"
Index | Public Lands | Environment | Ancient History | Recreation & Outdoor Adventure | Sightseeing Attractions | Indoor Activities | Climate | Moab Services and Accommodations | For More Information
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