Winter trail-use and campsite questions

[Alpine]

With winter coming up I have been thinking about a couple questions I have had for a while now.

Like most of us I enjoy learning anything new about mountain-y and outdoors-y stuff – tips and techniques, how to take care of the resources we have etc. I consider myself knowledgeable about such things and put my knowledge to use when possible.

A couple years ago we were XC skiing on the Sourdough south of Brainard Lake when some guy comes along, sees us on a part of the trail where it was clear that many had gone one way around a small group of trees, and many had gone the other way. This fellow was nice enough but a little irritated that we ‘were not on the trail’ and should have gone to the other side. It was not clear where the ‘real’ trail was even after he pointed it out.

I quizzed him about why that was important since after all we were on snow and explained that in the summer I try to always stick to the established trails. I am not an ‘eco-nazi’ but do think it important to use a trail if one exists that goes reasonably close to where I want to go. I don’t mind going off trail when I need to or want to.

Anyways, his explanation was that even in the winter on snow-covered trails, it is important because over the course of the winter and into spring, as the snow firms up, debris like pine needles, twigs, etc build up within the firmer parts of the snow where people have stepped/skied and squished that debris into the snow, and it stays there until spring melt-out. Them as summer comes, people are apt to follow those piles of pine needles and twigs because it looks like the official trail, although it may not be. Thus, the result is that if enough people go off-trail in the same place in winter, it can lead to casual/social trails and trail-braiding in summer. In 40-plus years of paying attention to such things I had never heard that before.

Has anyone else heard this? I guess I can see that happening conceptually, but suspect that this is somewhat of a low-likelihood of actually happening, with minimal actual impact over the years. But maybe I am wrong?


A related point: The very first bullet-point in the RMNP winter-camping page states “If the designated site has more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow, camp at least 70 adult steps (200 feet/60 meters) away from the site. Do not camp in the site.” Why? What is the purpose? It almost seems counter to the point mentioned above. Maybe this has more to do with ‘mud-season’ use where camp-site usage leads to footprints and rut-like features not too different from hiking and biking on muddy trails? Those ruts do stay there for a little while.


????

[TomPierce]

Eh, never heard the first point at all. Ever. But that said, I'd generally try to stick with an established trail below treeline in winter, but only because it's more efficient, ie why bushwhack and waste energy if you can avoid it? But I don't obsess about it, just take the most efficient/safest path in winter. On the second point, no idea, but I wouldn't use an established/numbered site in winter anyway, I tend to camp near treeline in the most sheltered spot I can find.
-Tom

[mts4602]

A related point: The very first bullet-point in the RMNP winter-camping page states “If the designated site has more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow, camp at least 70 adult steps (200 feet/60 meters) away from the site. Do not camp in the site.” Why? What is the purpose? It almost seems counter to the point mentioned above. Maybe this has more to do with ‘mud-season’ use where camp-site usage leads to footprints and rut-like features not too different from hiking and biking on muddy trails? Those ruts do stay there for a little while.
????

I wondered the exact same thing when I read that on RMNP's site. Doesn't make any sense to me, but I'm sure someone here knows.