Environmental Impact of Rock Climbers at Woodcock Cove, Tennessee

Rock climbing, among many outdoor recreational activities or sports, is seeing rapid growth in participation (Statista, 2022). The rise in participation has led to new environmental impacts which have yet to be fully researched, although evidence of these issues has been presented by numerous land managers of climbing areas and is one of their main focus (Access Fund, 2019). Understanding the relationship between the number of users of a climbing area and the level of impact the environment endures would be greatly beneficial to land managers. Although there has been minimal data collected on the number of users at climbing areas, research on this topic is under way. This study provides data on soil change that can be attributed to an exact number of people who have passed through a section of the approach trail in a climbing area in Tennessee. Data were collected over a period of six months from two active sample sites located along an approach trail to a popular rock climbing area in Tennessee as well as a control site. Soil erosion and soil compaction were measured at all three sites. The exact number of passersby were measured at one of the active sites. The data collected indicates that climbers have a significant impact on the soil on the approach trails to climbing areas. These findings indicate that land managers should be monitoring the number of users frequenting climbing areas as well as their impact in order to assess the need for further action to be taken. It is also a reminder that grassroots organizations such as the Southeastern Climber Coalition have the ability to use their relationships with climbing communities to conserve climbing areas in a sustainable manner.