On a Popular Colorado Trail, Poop Was 'All Over the Place'

The views from Colorado's Blue Lakes Trail are postcard-worthy; what's underfoot is decidedly less so. A conservation volunteer says they arrived at the hugely popular 8.7-mile trail near Ouray expecting "a little bit of human waste" and instead found it "all over the place." Now, years of hiker poop that have contaminated the area are being cleaned up by the National Forest Foundation and Southwest Conservation Corps, on the heels of a new May 31 requirement that visitors pack out their feces.

As for why the poop can't just stay where it is, Outside explains:

• "In high-alpine zones, desert ecosystems, slot canyons, and highly trafficked regions like Blue Lakes, burying your feces is sometimes prohibited because the environment can't decompose it efficiently. ... In other regions, Leave No Trace principles require burying human waste to prevent the spread of disease to wildlife and other human visitors, protect water quality, and minimize social impacts."