Masonry Steps

What are Masonry Steps?

Masons are fixing the steps so people are safe.

Lots of people (about 158,000 in 2013!) walk on this trail. It is rocky, and sometimes slippery, so it is easy to fall and get really hurt. Be careful! The park rangers do their best to keep the trail safe so that no one has to go to the hospital. They fix the stairs by sending stones and bags of cement on a zip line. It so strong that it can carry 30 bags of cement. The stonemasons shape irregular rocks into accurate shapes. They use gauge lines, levels and plumb bobs to get horizontal and vertical alignment.

In the winter, scalers knock off loose rocks so the rocks won’t fall by themselves. In the winter, there are more rockslides because the water seeps down into the cracks which causes the rocks to break off. Sometimes, masons let rockslides happen. When they do, they close the park.