City of Rocks

City of Rocks, an important landmark along the original California Trail, was often called a “city of tall spires”, “steeple rock”, and “the silent city”. It is easily recognizable by its distinct granite pinnacles and eroded boulders. The rock provides a valuable geologic record comprised of nearly 35 million years of history. Its geologic features and geographic location have made it biologically diverse that offers a high concentration of bird species, mammals rarely seen that high North, a variety of reptiles, and over 450 species of different plants including over 100 wildflowers and 45 woody plants. The location and features of the City of Rocks has made it an essential destination for many species as it provides ideal resting and nesting habitats for animals and a safe area for plants to thrive. The area is considered a biogeographic crossroad as it is the edge of many different habitat zones of plants and animals. The varying features allow for many different kinds of species to thrive in balance with one another. Its historical value to humans earned it status as protected land very early on which has helped preserve the location to remain pristine and as an ecologically diverse and complex area. Today, it has become widely popular for humans to camp at and it is well-known for its world class rock climbing that people travel from around the country and world to visit and climb. Although increased human traffic is a concern for the area, wildfires remain the greatest threat to the reserve. As climate change continues to cause dryer summers, fires have become much more devastating to the local ecology.

The City of Rocks was originally formed around 34.9 million years ago by the Kneeling Nun Tuff eruption. The Kneeling Nun Tuff eruption was one of a few known huge ash-flow tuff eruptions that occurred 36 to 24 million years ago. These eruptions are estimated to be much larger than any eruption recorded in history. The Kneeling Nun Tuff eruption is approximated to be one thousand times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mt. St Helens. The rocks there are mostly ash-flow tuffs or ignimbrites that have been formed by an eruption of pumice, volcanic ash, gas, and coarser material which was weathered, mass wasted, and eroded over millions of years to form the rocks as we know them today. The erosion shaped the rock into spires, pinnacles, and strange boulders.

During the mid-1800s, mass amounts of Americans began emigrating west for promise of new opportunities. From 1843 to 1882, hundreds of thousands of people followed trails. The first travelers followed landmarks described by early fur trappers and explorers, while the rest followed their trail. The California Trail passed through the City of Rocks, which had its name coined in 1849 by emigrant and artist James F. Wilkins. Many travelers would be inspired by the landmark to stop and rest on their journey and write their names somewhere on the rock which have lasted through today. City of Rocks was established as a State Park in 1957, a National Natural Landmark in 1964, a National Historic Landmark in 1974, and finally as a National Reserve in 1988. It is still considered the most intact and authentic preserves of the California Trail.

"Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit"

-Edward Abbey

The City of Rocks is managed today by Wallace Keck, the park superintendent, and the National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior. Its management and operations are the result of collaboration between individuals, government services, and the public. Services provided include a visitor center, an administrative office, and management of campsites, bathrooms, roads, and visitor compliance. The area is managed according to public laws, regulations, rules, and policies. The  Idaho Administrative Rules  govern activities within the reserve while the  Superintendent’s Compendium  outlines restrictions, designations, permit requirements, and other restrictions. Most work that needs to be done is usually road and site service. Beyond this, the most important management that changes throughout the year are climbing wall closures during raptor season. Many climbing areas in Idaho are seasonal nesting areas for raptors, birds of prey, and owls. Beyond the local management, organizations like the Boise Climbers Alliance (BCA) help notify and educate climbers on wall closures. Organizations align with Jedediah Purdy's Progressive Management, balancing human's interest in the area and the protection of the local ecology.

City of Rocks has historical value to humans as it was an important site along the California Trail. It is an important location for geographic, ecological, and species specific research. It is considered to have world class rock climbing that people from around the world come to see. It is an important nesting area for birds of prey. It is a biogeographic crossroad where many kinds of species exist including the Rough-legged Hawk, Antelope Bitterbrush, Pinyon Pines, and many more.  With so many different parties with different interests in a place with very complex ecology, it can be difficult to identify what things are risks to the local ecology. Due to its remote location, progressive management has helped greatly reduce human impact despite its popularity as a camping and climbing destination. Climbers are not allowed to climb in certain areas after birds have been spotted nesting, and camping locations are only in a small area relative to the size of the reserve in order to better manage noise and garbage pollution. Humans’ relationship with the City of Rocks has long since been aligned with Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. Early emigrants treated the area with reverence and awe. It quickly earned status as protected land, and treated with as much respect, likely because of its dense biodiversity and potential for scientific research. The greatest threat to the ecology at the City of Rocks is wildfire. Pinyon Pines are a keystone species for the local ecology as they produce shade, habitat, and food for many other species that rely on the Pinyon in the dry environment. As we are seeing in many places, the cost of human and technological progression is being paid by every ecological community including those at the City of Rocks. As greenhouse gases have increased, precipitation occurs less often, winds are stronger, and heatwaves are hotter and last longer. As fires occur more often they create ideal scenarios for invasive species which contribute to fires burning more often creating a positive feedback loop that endangers essential species to the City of Rocks.

American Natures: The Shape of Conflict in Environmental Law. Purdy, Jedediah. Harvard Environmental Law Review. 2012

City of Rocks National Reserve Southcentral Idaho. Historic Resources Study. 1996

City of Rocks State Park Geology. New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/tour/state/city_of_rocks/home.html

The Land Ethic. Aldo Leopold. A Sand County Almanac. 1949

Park Archives: City of Rocks. Park Archives: City of Rocks National Reserve. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2022, from http://npshistory.com/publications/ciro/index.htm

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). City of Rocks National Reserve (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/ciro/index.htm