HIGHLINING IS PROHIBITED
By the authority of the park manager, Highlining at City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park is temporarily prohibited as of Aug. 28, 2019. Highlining is an extreme variation of slacklining, where athletes traverse a narrow, springy band of rope suspended high above the ground. Highlining is a new visitor use at these parks that has not been studied for its compatibility with the purpose and mission of the national reserve and state park, and has the potential to impact the experience of other visitors as well as natural and cultural resources. This impact is likely to occur when rope and webbing are stretched for hundreds of yards across a canyon or valley, often anchored to pinnacles. The rope and webbing can occupy large portions of scenic view sheds for long periods of time. The popularity and repeat use of anchor points, may lead to new social trails, conflicting recreational uses, displacement of current uses, increased hazards to other visitors, and impacts to vegetation, wildlife, and soils.
The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Park Service must study the potential impacts of this new visitor use to determine if highlining will be permanently prohibited or to determine how and where it may be an appropriate and compatible recreational use. For more information about this temporary rule, contact:
Wallace Keck, Superintendent
City of Rocks National Reserve; Castle Rocks State Park
PO Box 169 (3035 Elba-Almo Rd);
Almo, ID 83312
(208) 824-5911 office;
(208) 312-2796 cell
Wallace_Keck@partner.nps.gov
*IDAHO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE IDAPA 26.01.20 - Rules Governing the Administration Department of Parks and Recreation of Parks & Recreation Areas & Facilities Section 075. Page 6
02. Park Manager Authority. The park manager or designee may establish and enforce all rules, Including interim rules. Interim rules apply to the public safety, use, and enjoyment or protection of natural, cultural, or other resources within lands administered by the Department. Those rules will be posted for public view and will be consistent with established state laws and these rules. Interim rules expire in one hundred twenty (120) days from the established effective date unless approved by the Board. (3-30-06)
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
