The outdoor writer’s blog has a couple of eyewitness accounts and a lively discussion.
Beyond marking the trail with clear warning signs, I don’t think the NPS should do anything. When you enter a wilderness, you’re on your own. If you’ve hiked into one, you’ve seen the signs. Putting a ranger at every spot where someone could die in a National Park would require a major staffing increase, to say the least. As far as shutting the trail down, no way. I’ve been up there a couple of times, and I wouldn’t deny that experience to anyone who wanted to accept the risks.
(Mods: feel free to move this to IMHO if necessary)
National Parks aren’t really “wilderness”, they are managed extensively for recreation and wildlife. Many parks like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Grand Canyon have some serious tourist infrastructure. So in many areas you do need to manage for safety.
However, hikes like Half Dome are traditional favorites because they are difficult and challenging. It would change the nature of the area to add significant safety features. In fact, I would favor removing the cables to eliminate the more casual hikers.
There may well be a few ways to make it safer, as mentioned in the cites. Making it safer will have a secondary effect of encouraging even more marginally-qualified folks to try it, however.
Overall the number of deaths has not been inappropriate.
Does the Wilderness Act apply to National Parks at all? Wilderness Areas are part of National Forests, which are managed by the Dept of Agriculture, not the National Parks which are managed by the Dept of the Interior.
The point I was trying to make in the OP was that when a visitor undertakes the Half Dome hike, they pass a big sign that essentially says “you’re in the wilderness now, buddy”. The casual hiker may choose to ignore the sign, but they do so at their own peril.
Yes, but “wilderness” and “Wilderness” are two different things. Federally designated Wilderness has specific meaning and rules/regs.
There are warning signs everywhere, but they only go so far. I’m a huge fan of personal responsibility, but national parks are full of people who don’t know what they are doing and don’t know enough to understand the risks. Removing the cables would prevent people from going up Half Dome more then any sign.
I fondly remember a sign in Red Rocks west of Vegas that said essentially:
People die here every year, bub. Do your best not to be one of them.
I thought that was an appropriate approach. Fer crying out loud - folks die at the Grand Canyon every year. Did they not get the point about the big hole in the ground? And in Yellowstone people try to pet the cute buffalo, or boil themselves in hot springs.
I agree that in all such cases the NPS is better off simply posting a clear warning - perhaps even orally instructing folks entering the park to read safety materials they hand out, than trying to take any extra precautionary measures. Once they take special measures, they will be held responsible for maintaining them, and criticized if they do not go far enough.
A few years back we went to Starved Rock - a state park in IL. When I was a kid, you used to climb to the top of the rock essentially scramling over rocks like a mountain goat. Now, they have “decked” over the entire path, so it pretty much has all of the interest of stepping out on suburban a back deck. Not sure if this was to promote access, ensure safety, or preserve the environment, but it definitely made it a less enjoyable experience in my mind.