Staying on the trails at a national park may seem like a trivial thing, but the truth is that it is very, very important.

Take Arches National Park as an example. A misplaced footstep can easily crush the biological soil crust (a community of microorganisms living on top of the soil). One of the purposes of the biological soil crust is to keep the sand in place and avoid erosion. Without it, the soil is easily blown away and plants are uprooted. 

Straying from the path at other national parks can be harmful too, the beautiful and vibrant wildflowers at Mount Rainier are very susceptible to human destruction.  

If this still isn't enough to convince you, the damage you do by stepping off the trail doesn't end there. Each wrong step can cause an irreversible chain of damage to the park. In the case of Haleakalā National Park, your missteps can destroy the habitats of some endangered species.

Not only is it harmful to the environment, stepping off the trail can also lead to an untimely death for the offender.

There is no reason not to do this, please help out!