As a person who works in environmental restoration…I’m not about to gatekeep the outdoors. There’s a balance to be had in allowing people to have access to places like this while educating the public about why it is so important we take care of our environment. A lot of times people don’t become active in the environmental movement until experiencing a hike like this that moves them emotionally. And like others have said, this was an already widely popular hike before these pictures were shared.

I got there super early to try and beat the crowd on the way up…it was worth it. I wonder how much of it being considered a fad is due to people trying to see the larches in the 2-3 week period before the needles fall off…this sense of urgency is definitely what motivated me to go on my Saturday off.