Struggled with whether to post about that gorgeous but fragile alpine meadow I found

Now I worry that sharing its location might lead to its destruction from too many visitors.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ever think about sharing just a general area instead of the exact spot? I did that with a wildflower field last year, just said it was in a certain national forest valley instead of pinning the trailhead. It still lets people explore the region without sending a crowd right to the fragile spot. Felt like a good middle ground, you know? The photos did their job showing why the place matters, without the map coordinates lol.

iris_adams1mo ago

General locations become exact coordinates fast enough. Someone will post a trailforks pin, another will drop a geotag on a reels video, and suddenly that "certain valley" has fifty people a weekend tromping off trail to find your shot. I watched it happen to a delicate moss canyon near Silverton after one vague blog post. Sometimes the only middle ground is not posting the place at all.

mila_fox981mo ago

That moss canyon story from iris_adams is why I never tag my secret hot spring anymore.