Peter Flax and I and the other editors of the magazine have been watching these threads with great interest over the past several days. Now that the smoke has cleared a bit, we thought it was an appropriate time for us to clarify the magazine's goals and position with respect to Glen Canyon. Our hope is that we can build on the most constructive parts of the discussion and encourage conversation about ways that both sides can help more people enjoy the remarkable hiking and backpacking to be found in Glen Canyon.

Let me state up front that our purpose in talking about Glen Canyon has always been grounded in three essential goals:
1) to promote this area as an amazing hiking location that every reader should visit at least once in his/her lifetime;
2) to increase access for hikers through improved trail management and information (right now, for instance, it's difficult to find a top-quality trail map or someone who's knowledgeable about current backcountry conditions); and
3) to secure more protection for archaeological sites and potentially fragile camping areas (it's the only responsible thing to do if we're going to encourage visitation).

Read more here...