Man Stacks Rocks as a Hobby, and the Result Is Pretty Incredible

Cole Robert Ellsworth goes by @cole.stacks on Instagram, and he stacks rocks for fun. Ellsworth’s rock stacks aren’t your typical rock cairns, though; they seem to defy gravity. In fact, his mind-bending creations are like outdoor art.

In one recent video posted to Instagram, Ellsworth compiled footage of him working on his stacks alongside the stunning end results. He overlays the text: “oh so stacking rocks is your little hobby?” Then he seems to stick it to the naysayers as he shows a series of his creations. Some of them seem downright impossible.

Rock stacks are a controversial subject within the outdoors community. In some places, cairns are officially sanctioned as trail markers but not as decoration. Yosemite National Park is one example of an National Park Service (NPS) site in the U.S. that has come out and asked that people not build rock stacks and, in fact, Yosemite wants people to knock rock stacks down if they see them.

As long as Ellsworth follows the principles of leave no trace, his unique way of enjoying the outdoors seems to be peaceful and harmless. It seems like he often practices his hobby in places where the rocks are already lying all around, so he’s not moving things too far from their original location.

See Ellsworth enjoying his hobby here:

Cole Robert Ellsworth goes by @cole.stacks on Instagram, and he stacks rocks for fun. Ellsworth’s rock stacks aren’t your typical rock cairns, though; they seem to defy gravity. In fact, his mind-bending creations are like outdoor art.

In one recent video posted to Instagram, Ellsworth compiled footage of him working on his stacks alongside the stunning end results. He overlays the text: “oh so stacking rocks is your little hobby?” Then he seems to stick it to the naysayers as he shows a series of his creations. Some of them seem downright impossible.

Rock stacks are a controversial subject within the outdoors community. In some places, cairns are officially sanctioned as trail markers but not as decoration. Yosemite National Park is one example of an National Park Service (NPS) site in the U.S. that has come out and asked that people not build rock stacks and, in fact, Yosemite wants people to knock rock stacks down if they see them.

As long as Ellsworth follows the principles of leave no trace, his unique way of enjoying the outdoors seems to be peaceful and harmless. It seems like he often practices his hobby in places where the rocks are already lying all around, so he’s not moving things too far from their original location.

See Ellsworth enjoying his hobby here: