As the first rays of sunlight illuminate the Margalla Hills, Islamabad’s hiking trails come alive with a growing mix of families, students, office workers, tourists and weekend excursionists. Before 7 a.m. on weekends, parking areas opposite Sectors F-6 and F-5 are packed with visitors eager to enjoy the scenic landscape.
Reckless visitors threaten Margalla hills’ ecosystem, warn hikers
By Bahadur Ali
ISLAMABAD, Jul 25 (APP): As the first rays of sunlight illuminate the Margalla Hills, Islamabad’s hiking trails come alive with a growing mix of families, students, office workers, tourists and weekend excursionists. Before 7 a.m. on weekends, parking areas opposite Sectors F-6 and F-5 are packed with visitors eager to enjoy the scenic landscape. While the hills remain a cherished escape for seasoned hikers, the recent surge in casual visitors seeking recreation and social outings has brought a new challenge: protecting the fragile ecosystem from irresponsible behavior.
Regular hikers say littering, loud music, off-trail movement and poor awareness among many first-time visitors are damaging the Margallas’ flora and fauna. They believe protecting the national park requires more than routine clean-up drives. Visitor education, responsible tourism and stricter enforcement of park rules are equally essential.
Muhammad Ismail, who frequently hikes the Margallas, talking to APP said littering remains the biggest challenge despite weekly clean-up drives. “Cleaning is done every week, but people still litter on the trails,” he said, adding that public awareness is more important than repeated cleaning campaigns. He also called for emergency first-aid boxes near the upper sections of the trails.
Veteran hiker Raja Sajid Riaz, who has spent nearly four decades exploring the Margalla Hills, talking to this news agency warned that fire prevention requires greater attention. “Smoking should be banned on the trails by any means,” he said, noting that discarded cigarette butts can easily ignite dry pine forests during summer. Another regular visitor, Zafar Iqbal, highlighted the lack of direction signs. “There is a lack of direction signs on the trails. New hikers usually get lost while hiking up,” he said.
Health experts frequently prescribe these climbs for cardiovascular fitness and stress relief. Beyond human benefits, the hills protect a vibrant wilderness, sheltering rhesus macaques, grey langurs, barking deer, wild boars, porcupines, more than 400 bird species, and elusive leopards monitored by camera traps. Hikers often push up Trail 3 or Trail 5 to reach Pir Sohawa, where local vendors sell fresh fruit and tea against panoramic views of the Faisal Mosque and Rawal Lake below.
Yet, this overwhelming love for the park has ignited an environmental crisis.
Irresponsible tourism is quietly degrading the forest. Trash clings to the underbrush along heavily populated paths. Regular hiker Ismail believes that relying on maintenance crews misses the real problem.
“Cleaning is done every week, but people still litter on the trails,” Ismail says. He argues that public responsibility must replace indifference, while urging authorities to install basic emergency first-aid boxes at higher points along the routes.
Environmental experts warn that plastic pollution, illegal dumping, and encroachment threaten to unravel this delicate ecosystem for future generations. Worse still, careless human habits pose a direct threat of destruction every dry season.
Veteran hiker Raja Sajid Riaz, who has explored these ridges for nearly four decades, singles out a lethal summer threat: “Smoking should be banned on the trails by any means.”
His warning proved prophetic in May 2026, when a devastating forest fire swept through the dry timber, forcing officials to shut down all hiking routes as emergency crews battled the flames.
Navigational hazards present another growing risk, with up to 4,000 visitors crowding Trails 3 and 5 on busy weekends.
A regular visitor Zafar Iqbal expressing his concerns pointed out how easily a quick walk can turn dangerous: “There is a lack of direction signs on the trails. New hikers usually get lost while going upward.”
The stark reality of these gaps turned tragic in May 2024, when teenage hiker Mohammad Taha vanished on Trail 5. Following a two-day search, his body was recovered from a deep ravine. The tragedy galvanized the hiking community to demand official visitor registration systems, better signboards, emergency call points, and reliable mobile coverage.
Currently, oversight is fragmented across several bodies, the Capital Development Authority, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, Islamabad Police, district administration, and Rescue 1122. Hikers and conservationists agree that while these institutions carry out individual tasks, a unified management strategy is urgently needed to coordinate emergency response and environmental protection.
The Margalla Hills remain Islamabad’s ultimate natural gift. But as thousands continue to flood its trails each weekend, its survival hinges on a simple truth: enjoying nature requires respecting it. Without collective care, the very refuge people seek may soon be lost.
