Packing out what we bring in

The dry climate that has preserved a thousand-year-old corn cob in a canyon alcove will also preserve your toilet paper. Forever, on the human timescale.

This is a practical primer on something that does not usually appear in glossy travel articles about canyon country. But it is the single most common visitor impact, and the one most easily solved by people who simply know what the right behavior is.

The problem in brief

In wet forests, human waste breaks down quickly: bacteria, fungi, and moisture cycle it back into the system in months. In the desert, none of that happens. The air is dry. The bacterial load in the soil is low. Buried waste mummifies. Toilet paper bleaches and persists. In high-traffic canyons, the cumulative effect over a few seasons is visible to anyone with eyes.

This is a sanitary problem, an aesthetic problem, and — at popular cultural sites — an active threat to the preservation of fragile materials and the experience of other visitors.

The basic rule

Pack out solid waste from any high-use area. Always pack out toilet paper. Never bury within 200 feet (about 70 paces) of water, a camp, or a cultural site.

The practical kit

A reasonable kit weighs less than a pound and fits in a side pocket:

• Two or three sealable opaque bags (commercial waste-kit bags are designed for this and contain a gel that neutralizes odor; basic doubled-up plastic bags also work).
• A small ziplock for used toilet paper or wipes.
• Hand sanitizer.
• A small folding trowel for catholes (only in low-use areas where pack-out is not required).

When pack-out is required

Several high-use canyon systems in the region now require pack-out year round. Check the current BLM regulations for the specific area you are visiting. Where required, it is not optional and the rule exists for a reason that everyone visiting the place benefits from.

When catholes are acceptable

In dispersed, low-use areas away from water and cultural resources, a 6-to-8-inch deep cathole, well covered with soil, is acceptable for solid waste. Toilet paper still goes in your pack-out bag. Locate at least 70 paces from any water source, drainage, or trail.

A note on urine

Urine is generally less of a long-term problem than solid waste, but in dry environments it can attract wildlife and alter soil chemistry. Urinate on rock or in dry sand rather than on vegetation, and well away from camps, water, and sites.

The kit is light. The discipline is small. The cumulative benefit, in places that take decades to recover from a single bad season of visitation, is enormous.