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Closures 2008

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Baboquivari
Flagstaff
Jacks Canyon
McDowell Mountains
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Prescott

JACKS CANYON

11-09-99

Titiana Shostak-Kinker, a student at Prescott College, is trying to install a portable toilet at Jacks Canyon. She has gotten permission from Henry Brill, the Recreation Forester for Coconinos Blue Ridge section, to go ahead with the project.

10-09-99

In July, the Forest Service announced a ban on new routes/bolts in Jack’s Canyon. I talked to Henry Brill, the Recreation Forester for the Blue Ridge District of the Coconino National Forest. He said that there are 10,000 bolts in Jack’s, and the FS feels that is enough. New route activity has started to encroach on spotted owl habitat in the western reaches of the canyon. In addition, there is some concern about archaeological resources. (Jack’s would have been an ideal dwelling place for prehistoric inhabitants. Its Kaibab limestone is the same as that at Walnut Canyon National Monument near Flagstaff where several hundred cliff dwellings have been preserved, and the climate is moderate year-round.)

There are no plans to remove any existing bolts, and Henry is quite comfortable with keeping the area open for climbing. However, with increased usage, the FS is concerned about user impacts. Specifically, they are concerned about litter, human waste, and the road conditions.

Henry says that the campground has been kept really clean, but one of the bigger concerns is human waste. (A student from Prescott College is currently looking at installing an outdoor toilet as part of a class assignment.) The trail into the canyon was well-planned and needs no alteration or maintenance. Henry is not concerned about the trail in the bottom of the canyon, as flash floods do much more damage than one small trail. (I have always thought the trail at the bottom was well-thought out, and shows no sign of being destructively braided, like trails at Joshua Tree.) The road to the campground has always been a problem during rain, as people have driven to the side to avoid rain-filled ruts, thus widening the road. The FS arranged to have a crew come out and improve the first quarter-mile of road to prevent the extra rutting – at a cost of $10,000.

Henry is working with a group in Flagstaff, a loose “climber’s coalition.” I will be in contact with them to see what we may be able to do to help.