Why staying on trails is especially important in winter months
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services is reminding hikers to stay on the trails in our area, even when the snow may make it difficult.
Sometimes fresh snow can create confusion in parks, covering up established trails and leading to people make their own path accidentally. Other times, going off-trail is even intentional.
Those footsteps can then lead to a domino effect of others heading down an unauthorized path.
"People are really comfortable going where people have been before, so if they see footsteps leading off the trail, they might think there's something cool over there they should check out," said Gillian Rossi, Park Ranger Supervisor for Trails, Open Space and Parks Program. "If they're new to the park, they might think that's the way to go and then they might end up getting lost. Not knowing where they are and getting themselves into an unsafe situation.”
Unsafe situations, like walking towards the edge of a cliff or getting so lost search and rescue teams don’t even know where to start.
"If you're on a marked trail and something happens, maybe you get injured or someone in your party gets injured or your dog gets injured... It's much easier for emergency personnel to find you if you can tell them what trail you're on," said Rossi.
Trampling around off trail also affects wildlife since you are disrupting their habitat and can ruin sensitive vegetation not visible under the snow.
"The wildlife are also more comfortable when they know where people are going to be," said Rossi. "When folks are off trail, that's when animals start to get stressed because those folks aren't normally there."
Park rangers hope locals will set an example while hiking, so tourists stay on designated trails.
"Staying on the trail, no matter what season, is the safest thing you can do when you're out recreating in our parks. Whether you're mountain biking, or hiking, or horseback riding, or birding -- staying on the trail, will at least guarantee that if you do get into an emergency situation, you'll be much easier to locate. By staying on trail, you're also helping other park visitors. They're going to follow you, especially if you're a local. They're going to want to do what the locals do, and if our locals are staying on the trail, our tourists and our folks from out of state are going to stay on the trail as well."
If you're ever confused about a trail or wind up lost, a resource you can use is COTREX, the Colorado Trail Explorer. It can be accessed via an app on your smartphone, or the web browser.
COTREX allows you to find trails, and even download the map before you leave so that you'll always have the path, even if you don't have cell service.
