Volunteer with us! GATE BUTTRESS ADOPT A CRAGS
ADOPT A CRAGs
Who: SLCA has contracted the Access Fund’s Conservation Team West (Kyle & Loryn) & Cottonwood Canyons Foundation
What: Little Cottonwood Canyon Adopt a Crags - East Gate Trail Access Work
Where: Meet at Gate Buttress Parking Area
When: 9 am - 3 pm, May 27, June 10, June 17
Can’t make it out on Saturdays for the official Adopt a Crags? Volunteers are welcome to join the Conservation Team Thursday through Sunday from May 27 to June 24. Contact stewardship@accessfund.org to sign up.
ABOUT
The Gate Buttress Project is designed to address 60 years of recreational impact on a 140-acre parcel of land owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located in lower Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. With the signing of a recreational lease in 2017, the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance was named active stewards of the Gate Buttress parcel. The Gate Buttress Parcel contains approximately 588 rock climbing routes and 138 boulder problems, spread over 35 areas. The long-term stewardship goal for the property is to create sustainable recreation infrastructure, protect Salt Lake City’s watershed, and deepen the relationship and sense of caring for nature through volunteerism within the climbing community and supporting outdoor industry.
The Gate Buttress is located within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, whose visitation numbers are higher than all five of Utah’s national parks combined. As outdoor recreation and rock climbing specifically continues to grow in popularity, overcrowding is stressing outdoor landscapes beyond their ability to recover naturally. Soil erosion and compaction along with degradation of vegetation create run off and dirties waterways, hence negatively impacting the watershed health. The area’s spider web of social trails hinders search and rescue operations. Fixed anchors that were installed in the late 60s and 70s need replaced. Stewardship of this property is a multi year project that prioritizes high trafficked areas and routes.
The 2023 work scope is to continue the work on the climbing access trail network SLCA has been working on since 2017. This year’s focus will be around stabilizing trail access to the East Gate as well as maintenance of other areas where we have built. Work will be done by hand using technical stone masonry skills and tools. User created social trails will be rehabilitated and staging areas at the base of the climbing routes will be stabilized. The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance will bring the Access Fund’s Conservation Team (Loryn and Kyle) to town as well as Cottonwood Canyons Foundation this spring for five weeks.
