A new plan from the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will close down 317 miles (510 km) of off-roading trails near Moab, Utah. The closures will take place on Saturday, October 28, and has led to uproar from the off-roading community.
A destination for enthusiasts, it is the site of the Easter Jeep Safari, and the area is home to a number of companies that offer off-road expeditions to tourists. Currently, before the closures take place, there are 1,057 miles (1,701 km) of off-highway routes in the area.
However, the trail situation has been referred to as a “free-for-all” by environmental activists, who point out that delicate ecosystems in the area are suffering from all of the activity that is occurring on the trails, especially in recent years, as the off-roading hobby has become more popular.
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Although the trail closures are being enforced by the BLM, the Utah Wilderness Alliance has been the champion for this cause, per The Drive. The group filed a lawsuit against the government organization in 2008 for improperly managing the access to federal lands in Utah. As part of a 2017 settlement, the BLM agreed to revise and enforce new plans for the trails, with a focus on protecting wildlife habitats, sensitive ecosystems, and cultural resources.
This decision is a result of that settlement, and will see routes along the Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges areas close. That means that it will no longer be legal to use some trails traversed during the Easter Jeep Safari, as well as some routes to campsites. However, the BLM has preserved routes that see heavy and frequent use, such as the Hell Roaring Rim.
In all, 317 miles of roads and trails are being closed to all motor vehicles, while another 18 miles are being closed off to trucks, leaving 712 miles of OHV routes that off-roaders can use. While that’s still a lot of trails, off-roaders are despondent.
“This travel plan is the worst defeat motorized recreation has suffered in decades. SUWA won. Moab is lost. Almost every major trail west of Moab is closed,” Patrick McKay, a member of the Off-Road Trail Defenders wrote on Facebook.
The Blue Ribbon Coalition, a group that represents off-roaders, said it would challenge the BLM’s decision in court, pressure congress to step in, publish op-eds, fight for wider support, and to patronize lesser used trails in order to stop them from being closed due to disuse.
