Hot Spot

Mossy Cave | Aug. 25-29, 2022

Tropic, UT

Mossy Cave is the northern most hike in Bryce Canyon National Park. It gets its name from the unique feature that the area is filled with moss in the summertime and icicles in the winter. Over the years, Mossy Cave has become increasingly more popular due to a surge in social media posts about the trail as well as an overall increase in visitation to Bryce Canyon National Park. This increased visitation has lead to impacts such as trail erosion, vegetation trampling, litter, and geologic resource impacts. For the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will be at Mossy Cave leading a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events, including opportunities for community involvement.

*Mossy Cave is located on the ancestral lands of the Pueblos, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) and possibly other tribes*

Solutions

During the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team led a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events at Mossy Cave. This included collaborating with the National Park Service to address the impacts happening at this location. This was accomplished by visitor education, consistent educational trail signage, increasing Leave No Trace messaging throughout the park and surrounding businesses, and strategically closing undesignated trails. The Hot Spot reached 327 people with stewardship education and activated volunteers and successfully conducted 9 educational programs over 5 days and a family-friendly outreach session. 

 

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