Take Action: Submit Comments on the Federal Climbing Management Guidance

Jul 14

Recently, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) released draft climbing management guidance that will help shape how climbing is managed on federal public lands for years to come. These documents address topics such as fixed anchors, new route development, rebolting, stewardship, wilderness climbing, and more—and will ultimately guide decisions made by our local land managers here in Northern Arizona.

Because these are lengthy and often technical documents, we've been working with the Access Fund's policy team to better understand what they mean for climbers and identify the areas that matter most to our community.

The Access Fund has put together a very helpful overview of the proposed guidance, including what it means, why it matters, and how to submit comments. The article below is a great one-stop resource to get up to speed, explore additional articles and podcasts, and—most importantly—take a few minutes to submit your own comments.

READ ACCESS FUND'S FAQ ARTICLE

How will this impact Northern Arizona climbing?

Here in Northern Arizona, where the vast majority of our climbing takes place on public lands—specifically National Forest & Wilderness within the USFS. This draft guidance will have the potential to directly affect places like The Pit, Paradise Forks, The Peaks, Sedona, Sycamore Canyon, and countless other climbing areas. While the guidance is national in scope, these will ultimately shape the climbing management plans developed by our local land managers.

With guidance from the Access Fund policy team, we've summarized the key topics, highlighted areas that may benefit from additional clarification, and identified aspects of the draft guidance that we support. We encourage you to use these points as a starting place when drafting your own comments. We strongly encourage submitting comments on all of the draft guidance documents. However, because the vast majority of climbing in Northern Arizona occurs on National Forest lands, we especially encourage comments on the U.S. Forest Service draft, as it will likely have the greatest impact on climbing opportunities and management throughout our region.

Suggested comments for the USFS draft guidance:

Protect existing routes and anchors. Existing (pre-2025) routes and anchors should be presumed appropriate for continued use and maintenance. Removal should only occur after site-specific review demonstrates measurable impacts, and should not require a Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA).
Clarify what qualifies as a fixed anchor. Ordinary bolts, pitons, and rappel anchors that are small, hand-placed, and safety-related should be recognized as appropriate fixed anchors. Avoid rigid numerical limits that don't reflect real-world climbing.
Don't require Climbing Management Plans for routine work. Routine anchor maintenance, one-for-one replacement, and standard new route authorizations should not be delayed until a Climbing Management Plan is completed.
Provide a clear authorization process for new routes. Establish consistent guidance for how new route proposals are reviewed, including both programmatic and case-by-case options.
Recognize the safety role of fixed anchors. Fixed anchors are essential for climber safety by preventing falls and enabling safe descent—not solely for resource protection.
Improve wilderness examples. Encourage route development away from sensitive cultural and natural resources, but do not justify new anchors based on past route damage. Chipping and manufactured holds should remain prohibited.
Allow emergency safety actions. Climbers should be able to address urgent safety hazards—such as replacing a failed bolt or creating a safe rappel anchor—without prior approval when immediate action is necessary.
Promote consistency across districts. Develop national guidance and templates for local climbing management plans to ensure consistent treatment of legacy routes, safety issues, wildlife, cultural resources, and collaboration with local climbing organizations.
Emphasize stewardship and partnerships. Prioritize education and collaboration with climbers, Tribes, and land managers over unnecessary restrictions. Recognize local climbing organizations as stewardship partners.
Support the administration of Special Use Permits. We support the administration of Special Use Permits for professional climbing guide services. Responsible guiding operations play an important role in promoting safe climbing practices, Leave No Trace ethics, wildlife awareness, and stewardship education for new climbers.
Support the adoption of approach trails. We support the adoption, maintenance, and sustainable construction of approach trails within the National Forest System to reduce erosion, habitat fragmentation, and the proliferation of social trails.
Support sanitization infrastructure When Necessary. We support the installation of appropriate sanitation facilities at high-use climbing areas where human waste can become an environmental health concern.

Thoughtful, constructive comments carry far more weight than simply expressing support or opposition. Consider sharing your experiences with local climbing ethics, stewardship, wildlife conservation, route maintenance, volunteerism, or why access to these places matters to you. Every unique perspective helps demonstrate that climbers are not only passionate users of these landscapes, but committed partners in their stewardship.

SUBMIT COMMENTS