SALT LAKE CITY, June 12 (UPI) -- The famed Corona Arch, a natural sandstone formation in Moab, Utah, is known to some as the "World's Largest Rope Swing."
But recent accidents have prompted officials at the Bureau of Land Management to consider a ban on any kind of extreme sports at the 140-foot arch. It sits on land that has belonged to the federal government since May.
In 2013, 22-year-old thrill-seeker Kyle Stocking died in a rope-jumping accident. That same year, Adam Jason Weber, 32, died trying to rappel to the canyon floor.
Officials also question whether such activities lessen the experience for other hikers.
Rock Smith, an outdoor recreation planner with the BLM, told the Moab Times that the agency has to consider the 40,000 hikers who visit the arch each year.
The question is whether they can have that experience [with rope swinging]," Smith said. "If there is an impact to their hikes, it could be considerable."
Smith said that if the bureau does decide to prohibit rope swinging in the next few months, the restrictions would be reconsidered in two years.
