The phrase “leave no trail” is literal at any state park in Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas State Parks and Wildlife officials are reminding visitors to not stack rocks at state parks.
The phrase “leave no trail” is literal at any state park in Texas. The Dinosaur Valley State Park in North Texas shared a reminder on Facebook to remind visitors to not stack rocks while hiking the trails.
Rock stacks, also called “rock cairns,” can cause damage to the ecosystem around any structure built.
“Doing so disturbs sensitive and critical wildlife habitats that rely on the rocks for protection. This is even more serious during times of drought and low water levels just like we are experiencing here at the park,” the post stated. “Wildlife are already isolated to specific areas of the river and streams when water levels drop, and the building of rock cairns destroys what habitats are left. This results in those wildlife species moving somewhere else causing a break in the ecosystem.”
The wildlife surrounding any and all of the already existing rock formations rely on said rocks for protection against weather and other predators.
“Aquatic macroinvertebrates help indicate overall water quality, and are crucial to the freshwater ecosystems for other species such as fish. While their job and role in the environment becomes much harder during times of low water and drought, it becomes near impossible when rocks are removed to build rock cairns,” the post explained.
Rock stacks can also confuse hikers and bikers as they move around the trails.
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