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ESCALANTE, Garfield County — Phill Monson spends as much time as possible in Utah’s outdoors, taking photos and enjoying the scenery around him. So when he made the trip to Spooky Slot Canyon in southern Utah last week, he was appalled at what he saw.
Graffiti and vandalism plagued the entrances of the canyon walls. Hearts, hashtags, social media handles and all sorts of sayings were scratched into the canyon walls.
“You think you’re going to go into this serene, great wilderness experience, and you walk into the canyon and the first thing you see scratched into the wall is (the vandalism),” Monson said. “It kind of takes away from the whole thing.”
Monson posted photos of the vandalism to Facebook, which drew the ire of fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
"The level of disrespect and complete ignorance is absolutely mind-blowing," one person responded.
"This breaks my heart. Red Rock is sacred to me," another wrote.
Though angry and disappointed, Monson isn’t all too surprised. He’s seen it throughout Utah’s parks.
“I don’t know if it’s just ignorance or people aren’t educated on wilderness principles like ‘leave no trace’ or they flat out just don’t care or they’re just selfish enough to think that, for some reason, that their thoughts or name needs to be carved into this place,” he said. “It really ruins it for everybody else. I think about wanting to take my kids to these places and to see them in their natural state and not have to see ‘John was here.’”
Vandalism and graffiti aren't just a problem in Utah either. It has been problematic for public lands across the country, said Larry Crutchfield, public information officer for the Bureau of Land Management’s Kanab office.
“I think people are getting fed up with seeing this happen to their public lands,” he said. “It is very disrespectful (and) repugnant. If I could think of a stronger word, I’d use it.”
Though it isn’t known exactly when the vandalism occurred, Crutchfield said the vandalism in Spooky Slot Canyon is recent. He lauded Monson for reporting the vandalism and encouraged anyone who sees any vandalism to report it.
“That allows us to take action,” Crutchfield said.
If vandalism is severe enough, he said a specialist may be needed to clean it up. The costs can, at times, reach thousands.
Crutchfield said officials are puzzled as to why vandalism has become a growing trend. Monson, on the other hand, theorized it has to do with social media.
“(Vandalism) really ruins it for everybody else. I think about wanting to take my kids to these places and to see them in their natural state and not have to see ‘John was here.’” - Phill Monson
As a photographer and an outdoor enthusiast, Monson said it is something he sees all the time, whether it’s vandalism, setting up tents in no-camping areas or any other violations of the public rules to stage a better photo.
An example of this came in 2014, when a San Diego woman went to seven national parks, Zion and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah, and painted on rocks. She would then post photos of it to her Instagram and Tumblr accounts. She pleaded guilty in 2016 to the vandalism and sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service, as well as restitution for the price of cleaning up the graffiti.
“It’s almost as if people are just now discovering that there’s a whole world out there and through social media, it’s like, ‘Hell, I have to put it on my bucket list. I’ve got to get down there,’” Monson said.
He suggests public notices against carving into canyons should be more visible to visitors in the same manner as signs about fires or proper hydration and hopes vandals will learn what they’re doing isn’t just illegal but also takes away from others visiting public lands.
“There are arguments that it’s just modern-day petroglyphs, which is just an ignorant thing to say at best,” Monson said. “Just be a basic human being and don’t ruin everybody else’s experience for your own selfish reasons.”
