Last week a concern was brought up about there being no trail to the 1944 Plane Crash Site in RMNP.
There are few official trails maintained by the park in the South Escarpment Area. Cal Martin from the park gives details about why there is no trail to the crash site.
“There hasn’t ever been an official trial to the plane crash site. But people were able to access it off of a trail that we have called the South Escarpment Trail. Now the South Escarpment Trail is one of our lesser used trials and maintenance on that trail has not been a priority in past years. So if people wanted to access it, that’s the way that they would go about it. But we don’t recommend accessing the site and accessing it is basically not officially encouraged because it is not an official trial and we’re also concerned about visitor safety and we are also concerned about the site since an individual did pass away at the site of the plane crash.”
On why the park hasn’t done anything with the crash site this is what Cal Martin had to say. ”Our current approach is to leave the site as it is. Both out of respect for the loss that has occurred also because it doesn’t pose any threat the ecological integrity of the park. It’s not a site where there is hazardous material that needs to be cleaned up. In that respect it is just seen as a cultural resource and is left as is because in some cases that is the best way to manage those resources.”
The national park maintains frequently traveled trails as the priority. The park plans to look at lesser used ones in the future. But are currently focusing on trails that walked the most.
