Arizona’s backcountry faces rising threat from growing outdoor tourism trends
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge of visitors to explore Arizona’s scenic and remote destinations, with many seeking refuge from crowded spaces and turning to the state’s stunning landscapes. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok played a key role, allowing them to share their adventures with friends and followers.
According to the National Forest Service, the number of visitors to the most rugged and isolated locations continues to rise, four years after the height of the pandemic.
“Social media really expanded the conversation about spending time in nature, which can sometimes spotlight places that may not be suitable for such high volumes of tourists,” said Scott Brady, publisher of The Overland Journal. Brady, the first person to drive across all seven continents, advocates for the ethical use of public lands.
Brady has witnessed the consequences of increasing popularity in wild spaces. “The most important thing is that we don’t want to restrict access to the backcountry. However, we believe there are opportunities to mitigate the impact,” he noted.
Such impacts include trash, human waste, and increased vehicle traffic. John Winn, deputy director of the Forest Service Southwest Region, explained that rangers and volunteers are actively working to address the challenges that increased visitation brings.
Arizona’s Apache-Sitgreaves and Coronado National Forests have received $22.5 million in Legacy Restoration funding since 2021, which is being used for deferred maintenance on 20 projects across both forests. According to Winn, one challenge rangers face is reducing the number of vehicle accidents in the backcountry.
Last spring, the Black Mesa Ranger District paved Forest Road 300 to Woods Canyon Lake and part of the Mogollon Rim. “We hope that this improvement will reduce the number of vehicle accidents on the road,” Winn wrote in an email to Arizona’s Family Investigates.
This paved road reflects a growing trend, according to Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity. Jordahl argues that the Forest Service and other federal land managers are increasingly making it easier for more people to visit some of the wildest locations in the state. “Ultimately, this chips away at the integrity of these wild places. It diminishes their wildness. Once a road is built, it cannot be unbuilt,” said Jordahl.
The Center for Biological Diversity is currently suing to stop new road construction in parts of the Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona. “We’re doing everything we can to protect jaguar habitat, Mexican Spotted Owl habitat, and preserve the beauty of that mountain range,” Jordahl said. He believes that existing roads and trails can already take visitors to remote areas, even if they are rugged.
This ruggedness has attracted “Overlanders,” who use their vehicles to travel to and camp in challenging wild spaces. They typically drive high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles equipped with rooftop tents and built-in kitchens. For them, unpaved, uneven, rocky dirt roads are appealing.
One such road is El Camino del Diablo, which stretches from Ajo to Yuma and is the longest unsupported dirt road in the lower 48 states. There are no gas stations or services for more than 130 miles. It was once a rite of passage for overlanders, but portions of the road are now graded so smoothly by the US Border Patrol that a two-wheel-drive sedan could traverse it on a good day.
While road improvements like those on El Camino and the Mogollon Rim have increased access to the state’s wildest places, they also offer real benefits to visitors. “I believe that being outdoors and being in nature is a fundamental part of being human,” Brady remarked.
He stressed that drivers, hikers, and campers now have a heightened responsibility to leave these spaces as pristine as possible by packing out trash and human waste, and by keeping vehicles on established roads. “These are our public lands. We, as the public, have a responsibility to protect them while also enjoying access. It’s a balance between the two,” Brady concluded.
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