It might seem harmless to pocket a rock or pick a flower when you visit Death Valley, but unfortunately it is illegal to take anything at all from the park. Even though one stone or arrowhead won’t make much of a difference by itself, Death Valley receives about a million visitors every year. If each of them took even just one or two rocks or wildflowers, there would be nothing left after a few years. The Parks Service takes this kind of thing very seriously, so we would strongly caution against taking anything from your trip to the park. When in doubt, just remember the old hiker’s mantra: Take only pictures, leave only footprints.
That’s especially true for the more delicate parts of Death Valley’s ecosystem. The desert is a harsh place to live, and the animals rely heavily on the few plants that do grow there. Destroying or picking any flowers or other plants can have a real effect on the ecosystem, so make sure you leave them alone. Death Valley’s sand dunes are also fragile, so sledding and sand surfing is prohibited on most of them.
There are also a few other legal regulations that you should know. This might go without saying, but while registered gun owners are allowed to bring their firearms into the park, it’s illegal to fire a gun in Death Valley except in self-defense. That means no target practice out in the desert, even if there’s no one around. The use of marijuana is also illegal on federal lands, even though both Nevada and California have legalized its recreational use. Finally, unmanned aircraft like drones and model planes are prohibited in Death Valley unless you have the written approval of the superintendent.
To make the most of your trip to Death Valley, check out our Death Valley Self-Guided Driving Tour. More prolific travelers might also be interested in Action+, a yearly subscription that grants access to all 100+ of our US tours.
Picking wildflowers, taking home stones or arrowheads as keepsakes, and defacing canyon walls with graffiti are all actions that degrade the parks for other visitors. In addition, it's against the law. When you visit any of the sites run by the National Park Service, you are viewing America's treasures.
If each of them took even just one or two rocks or wildflowers, there would be nothing left after a few years. The Parks Service takes this kind of thing very seriously, so we would strongly caution against taking anything from your trip to the park.
In state recreation areas rockhounding is limited to beaches which lie within the jurisdiction of the Department and within the wave action zone on lakes, bays, reservoirs, or on the ocean, and to the beaches or gravel bars which are subject to annual flooding on streams.
Grand Canyon National Park—a World Heritage Site—belongs to everyone. Please leave everything where you find it; including rocks, plants, firewood, and artifacts.
Collecting antlers within the monument is a violation of 36 CFR 2.1(a)(1)(i), which includes possessing, removing, or disturbing wildlife parts such as antlers.
While touching a Joshua tree or posing leaning against it or hanging from it for that perfect Instagram photo may not technically be illegal, you don't want to risk damaging these unique and fragile plants. The best choice is to admire them without actually touching them.
Collecting, rockhounding, and gold panning of rocks, minerals, and paleontological specimens, for either recreational or educational purposes is generally prohibited in all units of the National Park System (36 C.F.R. § 2.1(a) and § 2.5(a)). Violators of this prohibition are subject to criminal penalties.
As of February 22, 2010, a federal law allows people who can legally possess firearms under applicable federal, state, and local laws, to legally possess firearms in this park.
While National Parks are ours to enjoy, removing things from them such as indigenous artifacts, plants, rocks and even pinecones is damaging the spirit and ecosystem alike, not to mention illegal. Always leave items where you found them, and if they intrigue enough then snap a picture to show your friends back home.
No person shall destroy, disturb, mutilate, or remove earth, sand, gravel, oil, minerals, rocks, paleontological features, or features of caves except rockhounding may be permitted as defined and delineated in Sections 4610 through 4610.10. 4308. Archaeological Features.
Rockhounding - the collecting of small rocks or mineral specimens from the surface, for personal use - on the Black Hills National Forest does not require a permit. Collecting from within historical sites on the Forest is not allowed.
Erosional forces cause rocks from the surrounding mountains to tumble to the surface of the Racetrack. Once on the floor of the playa the rocks move across the level surface leaving trails as records of their movements.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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