care when lifting rocks, as these creatures may be lurking underneath, and always empty your boots each morning, as spiders and scorpions are often attracted to them by warmth and moisture.
Finally, poisonous snakes are feared more than any other creature in the desert. The small midget faded rattlesnake occurs in Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands national parks, where the Hopi rattlesnake is also believed to dwell. In Bryce Canyon is the five-foot Great Basin rattlesnake, and in Zion, the western rattlesnake. Hikers are more likely to encounter a rattler in Bryce Canyon than in any other Utah park, and overall, sightings of rattlesnakes are rare. When a hiker approaches, a rattlesnake will either slither away and hide, or coil in defense. Many rattle a warning, but some do not. Pay attention to where you place your hands and feet, especially when hiking in brushy or rocky areas. Don’t panic if you are bitten; remain calm and still. Exercise only serves to transport the venom more rapidly through your body. People rarely succumb to the bite of a rattlesnake, even without the benefit of any first-aid treatment. The traditional cut-and-suck method has been found to have little value, and can actually increase your chances of infection.
A rattlesnake bite results in immediate pain accompanied by swelling. Tie a constricting band above the bite and the swelling, and remove it for 1 minute during every 15-minute period. Remain calm and quiet, and drink plenty of water. A companion should immediately go to the nearest trailhead or ranger station for help or, if you are alone, you should proceed slowly to the nearest location where people are likely to be.
Reducing Your Impact on the Desert
While the desert appears to be a durable landscape, it is actually delicate and fragile, and plant and animal life can be easily disrupted, even by walking off of established trails for only a short distance. Throughout your travels in the Utah desert, you will surely notice a black, crusty covering on bare ground, primarily on clay soils. This ground cover is an assemblage of lower plants, called a microbiotic or a cryptobiotic crust. The crust, made up of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and fungus in various combinations, is easily destroyed by feet and by vehicle tires, and it may take 25 years to recover. When you walk on this black lumpy crust, you are destroying plants and hastening wind and water erosion. To reduce your impact on this fragile association of crusty plants, stay on the trails or, if you’re hiking cross-country, hike in washes or on slickrock as much as possible, or on soils free of cryptobiotic crusts. If you must hike off-trail through areas of cryptobiotic crust, walk single file, with each member of the group stepping in the footprints ahead of them.
Another important aspect of the nationalpark experience in Utah is the historic sites, such as Ancestral Puebloan structures and rock writing. Encountering a cliff dwelling, a granary or a rock-writing panel left behind by a long-vanished culture hundreds or even thousands of years ago is one of the special joys of hiking in the Utah desert, and these reminders of ancient desert dwellers lend an air of mystery to the enchanting landscape. Yet with each passing year, vandals, and even well-intentioned but misguided hikers, destroy parts of these valuable resources and remove artifacts from archaeological sites.
It is our responsibility to protect these sites, not only for their scientific value but for ourselves and those who come after. Structures are fragile and crumble easily; do not climb on them. Skin oils destroy pigments on pictograph panels, so restrain the urge to touch them. Do not add graffiti to rock-writing panels. Avoid picking up potsherds, bones, or other lithic scatter at cultural sites. Well-intentioned hikers often pick up artifacts from the ground and place them on display on so-called “museum rocks” at cultural sites. Leave archaeological sites as you found them, preserving the sense of discovery for those who follow. Every artifact—a kernel of corn or a potsherd—provides an important link to the past.
Once an artifact is removed or disturbed, it becomes merely an object that cannot be related to its context. Even walking around a dwelling or other site may destroy cultural resources. The Antiquities Act of 1906 and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 make it unlawful to remove, damage, excavate, deface or alter the material remains of human life and activity over 100 years old. There are also state laws protecting cultural resources. Civil and criminal penalties are enforced, and rewards of up to $500 are provided for information leading to the arrest and conviction of offenders.
There are many ways in which hikers can reduce their impact on the fragile desert. Although techniques of no-trace behavior are now common practice among hikers, we occasionally need reminders. Previously mentioned in this chapter are suggestions to camp on durable sites, to avoid camping near water sources or trampling cryptobiotic crusts, and to allow ample room between backcountry campsites. In addition, hikers should keep noise to a minimum, as sound carries far in the desert and echoes among rocks and canyon walls. Keep group size as small as possible, and consider splitting your group into smaller parties while hiking and camping. When traveling cross-country, spread out instead of walking single file and concentrating your impact (except when travelling across cryptobiotic crusts).
Always carry out your trash or garbage. In the arid desert climate, things like orange and banana peels will not decompose; rather, they become mummified. Respect plant and animal life in the desert. Moving a stone, uprooting a plant, or killing an undesirable creature disrupts the delicate balance that desert life has achieved. Above all, remember that you are a visitor in the home of plants and animals, so behave as you would in someone’s home and act with respect for all desert dwellers.
Driving in Utah’s National Parks
Most trailheads in the national parks of Utah lie along paved park roads and are accessible to any vehicle, but some lie along remote dirt roads. Dirt roads are often impassable to even 4WD vehicles during and shortly after a heavy rain, when clay beds become a sticky, slippery mess. If you return from a hike to find your dirt road wet from heavy rains, be prepared to wait a day or more for the roadbed to dry. Some roads follow canyons that are subject to dangerous flash floods, which can wash out roads, and deposit rocks and other debris on the roadbed. Always check the current road conditions at park visitor centers.
Drivers of 4WD vehicles should be experienced in rough road travel before attempting most of the 4WD roads in Utah’s national parks. Since many 4WD routes follow sandy washes, vehicles should be equipped with wide, deep-lug tires. Traveling with a group is a precaution in case one vehicle gets stuck or damaged. A winch is useful—but it is often difficult to find an anchor point in the desert.
Everyone traveling off main roads should be sure to have a full tank of gas and perhaps some extra, at least 5 gallons of water, a shovel, extra food and clothing, a tow line, and a tire pump. On rough or flood-damaged roads, a little shovel work can save you hours of down-time should your vehicle become stuck or damaged.
Avoid steep downhill grades in sand unless you are certain you can make it back up. If you begin to get stuck in sand, don’t spin the wheels, as you will only dig in deeper. Maintain your speed and forward momentum on sandy roads, and rapidly steer the wheels of your 4WD vehicle back and forth to increase the tires’ “bite” in the sand. You can increase traction by deflating tires to about 20 p.s.i.—but be sure to reinflate them once you’re beyond the obstacle. If deflating tires doesn’t do the trick, use your jack to lift the stuck wheels and place rocks, boards, or brush underneath for added traction. Consider carrying boards, burlap bags, strips of carpet, pieces of chain-link fence—anything that might provide traction in deep, soft sand.
Be sure to check road conditions and weather forecasts before driving off main roads, and when in doubt, stop your vehicle and scout ahead on foot; a few minutes of scouting may save you hours of digging out.
Park Regulations
The mission of the National Park Service is to preserve the natural and historical values within national parks, while providing for the enjoyment of the landscape in a manner that will leave it unimpaired for future generations. We can all assist by following the guidelines established by
