A viral social media trend has transformed one of the Valley’s most photographed natural formations into a patchwork of discarded gum. Visitors to the “Hole in the Rock” at Papago Park north of Tempe reported finding bright bits of chewed gum pressed into the sandstone after people followed an online challenge that encourages sticking gum to the formation for posts and videos. The proliferation of gum has marred the surface of a landmark estimated to be more than 6 million years old, prompting complaints from those who come to the site for views, photos and picnics.
It is a familiar annoyance in public spaces: you reach for a bench or railing and encounter old gum. That same experience, visitors say, is now happening in plain sight on the slopes and ledges of the short climb to the Hole in the Rock. The ascent draws both locals and tourists for sweeping desert vistas, family outings and social-media photos; instead, some hikers are finding colorful clumps of gum stuck to the sandstone where they expected unspoiled rock. "That’s disgusting," one visitor, Jennifer, said when she saw the discarded pieces. Another visitor, James Nance, put it bluntly: "I don't think that's cool, no."
The practice is linked to clips circulating on TikTok that show groups chewing gum, pulling it from their mouths and pressing it onto the sandstone to create patterns or decorate the popular viewpoint. Hundreds of pieces have been reported on the rock, many stained bright from fruit- or candy-flavored gum, and the adhesive effect of saliva has left them glued in place. "I don't think you should be doing it for your pleasure or for internet clout," Nance added, criticizing the impulse to alter a natural site for online attention.
City of Phoenix crews have responded by sending workers to the formation to remove the gum. Park staffers and maintenance crews have been using scraping tools to lift the chewed gum from the sandstone — a painstaking process illustrated by images of a park ranger scraping at the surface with handheld implements. Despite those efforts, visitors said that patches of gum remain baked on in certain areas even after cleanup attempts, and removing the material from porous sandstone presents a tougher challenge than cleaning a hard, smooth surface.
Not all visitors behaved the same way. Dennis Moody, visiting from Pennsylvania, said he and his companions were chewing gum on the hike but disposed of it properly when they reached the trailhead. "We were actually chewing gum when we came up here, but we put it in the trash can," Moody said, offering an example of the behavior city officials and longtime visitors hope will be followed more widely.
Beyond littering and visual damage, some who frequent the site emphasized the cultural significance of the rock formation. The Hole in the Rock has been described as a place historically used by Indigenous people to mark solstices, and the combination of natural age and cultural meaning led several visitors to urge greater care. "People shouldn't be doing that. It's natural beauty," Nance said, framing the calls for responsible conduct in terms of respect for both the environment and the site's place in local heritage.
Officials and park staff continue cleanup work while visitors voice frustration that the destruction is avoidable. The short climb and panoramic outlook make the spot an ideal backdrop for social media, a reality that appears to have helped spread the trend even as it damages the very scenery users hope to capture. City crews will likely need to periodically return to the formation to address fresh deposits as the trend circulates online, and the visible remnants that remain after initial sweeps underline the difficulty of fully restoring sensitive sandstone to its original appearance once gum becomes embedded.
Papago Park’s Hole in the Rock remains a popular destination for its ease of access and the sweeping desert views it provides, but the recent episodes of visitors pressing gum onto the rock have drawn swift criticism from other parkgoers and sparked a response from maintenance crews. The situation highlights an intersection of social-media-driven behavior and the challenges facing agencies tasked with protecting natural and culturally significant sites. Park users and city workers alike are now contending with the task of removing the sticky residue left behind and reminding visitors to dispose of trash properly so the landmark can remain intact for future hikers and observers.
A park ranger uses tools to scrape chewed gum from the sandstone at Papago Park’s “Hole in the Rock” after a viral TikTok trend left the landmark dotted with gum.