Climbers told to get off
Cave ROCK, a contested rock-climbing spot at Lake Tahoe’s southeast edge, isn’t going to reopen anytime soon.
The Forest Service closed the site to climbers in July 2003 to protect historical and archeological resources. Climbers challenged the decision in federal court, but on Jan. 28, U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben found that rangers made the right decision in banning climbers. Leaders of the area’s native Washoe community consider the site sacred, but a 250-foot tower of volcanic rock lured climbers beginning in the late 1980s. The rock was studded with dozens of bolts and anchors.
A Forest Service spokesman says Cave Rock remains open for “non-motorized recreation, such as hiking, picnicking and other noninvasive uses.”
-- Christopher Reynolds
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