I posted this picture on Reddit (r/hiking) not knowing that it would cause such a stir. I am 100% leave no trace while hiking. I carry bags to clean up after my dog and carry everything out that I went in with. I have picked up trash from other hikers. Granola bar wrappers and cigarette butts, seriously discarded butts piss me off! are cairns and structures like this against leave no trace practices?

I have been annoyed when I come across new cairns on the trail. People seem to think that is cool to stack rocks here and there. These people don’t understand what a cairn is and why they are placed where they are. Imagine the ramifications of slapping white blazes on random trees along the Appalachian Trail.

To be honest, I had taken the picture because I thought it was beautiful and marveled at the architectural design. I didn’t compare this structure to the cairns that could potentially send me in the wrong direction.

Comments ranged from “graffiti-tear it down,” “Stargate” to “what’s the fuss-it’s pretty.”

To be fair, this arch isn’t on a trail but somewhat off of an unmaintained, winter-gated road to the trailhead. However, as one commenter pointed out, “for every beautiful structure, there are least 99 ugly structures”. 

Are unauthorized erected cairns against the practice of Leave no trace?

Are they bad for the ecology?

Just plain unsightly?

Or live and let live-they’re pretty?

Share your opinion…