Cairn. A route marker. Usually a small pile of three or more stones set along a route to indicate the way to go. Also larger piles of stones used to mark a summit.

Cairns can be an extremely useful, low-impact way to mark an obscure route. However, people setting new cairns must be careful not to set cairns along the wrong route. If a hiker sets cairns on a route that turns out to be bad, it is a moral imperative that they retrace their steps and remove the off-route cairns. I once was led into a life-threatening situation in cliffs with a 10-day backpack following off-route cairns in the Grand Canyon; it was not fun.

Historically, miners in the west used rocks to build large cairns to mark their mining claims (sometimes with a wooden post). While not "historic" objects, these items of historical interest should be inspected for mining claim documents, but nothing should be removed.

I urge fellow hikers to remove unnecessary and off-route cairns. Removing bad cairns prevents other hikers from becoming confused by following the bad route, and it concentrates hikers on the proper route, thereby reducing environmental damage from multiple-trailing.

Unfortunately, cairns are becoming a form of "natural," new-age graffiti where people make their mark upon the land by piling up stones. People make cairns along roadways, along well-established trails, in picnic areas, and in other inappropriate places. These cairns are no more than trash or graffiti left on the landscape. Especially in Wilderness Areas, the use of cairns should be limited to the least number necessary to mark a route, they should never be set in places where the route is obvious, and they should not be left as graffiti.

Summit Cairns

Useful Route Cairns

Mining Claim Marker Cairns

Useless Graffiti Cairns

Happy hiking! All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 240323