Utah Public Lands Alliance Protects Land Use for All Outdoor Enthusiasts

The key mission of the Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) is to preserve Utah’s public land for all to enjoy and use.

Utah is home to some of the most stunning and bewitching landscapes in the world. This includes dozens of national monuments, wilderness protection areas, and state parks. The state’s public lands encompass canyons, cliffs, rivers, forests and pristine desert environments with notable natural treasures such as the San Juan River, the Wasatch National Forest, Fischer Tower and Big Cottonwood Canyon, among others.

We value our public lands for not only the beauty and the inspiration they provide but also for supporting a thriving outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor recreation is a huge part of Utah culture and each year thousands visit our state to fish, hike, camp, climb, bike and take part in various off-roading sports.

We at UPLA strive to preserve Utah’s public lands because we want people to get out and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us and we also want to protect it for future generations.

Who is UPLA?

The UPLA is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization that was formed in 2014 to represent all users of public lands in Utah. We strive to keep these public lands for public use in coalition with all user groups and believe that working cooperatively as public land users will help us maintain access and recreational use of these lands for generations to come.

We focus on all facets of land management including improvement, access, enforcement, and protection.

How We Make A Difference In Utah

Since our inception, we are proud to have made a difference through some notable projects.  Including:

  • Working with the BLM and Washington County to ensure that the Saint George Field Office Travel Plan 2014 includes all trails and roads to preserve access.
  • Helping to develop and install permanent trail signs for popular trails in Sand Mountain OHV area.
  • Collaborating with the BLM and the Desert RATS to construct a new trail (Ridgeline Trail) to access the West Rim trail system.
  • Purchasing and installing composting toilets at Sand Mountain.
  • Collaborating with the BLM and Moab Friends For Wheelin’ to place “You are Here” signs on Moab trails.  (Ongoing)

Get Engaged With The UPLA Mission

We encourage everyone, especially Utahns, to join the UPLA. Here are 4 ways you can get involved in our course:

  1. Joining the UPLA. We offer 4 membership levels– Individual, Organizational, Corporate & Lifetime. When you join, you get benefits such as access to GPS tracks for various trails in the tri-state area as well as access to Trip Reports from St. George and southern Utah locations.
  2. Spreading the word by sharing our website on social media.
  3. Subscribing to our newsletter so you’ll always be informed of important events and special issues that call for everyone’s attention.
  4. Being respectful of the land and all who use it. We encourage you to use all public land responsibly by practicing sanitary and responsible waste disposal, avoiding sensitive areas and staying on designated trails and respecting other public land users.

Public lands should remain public and we will continue protecting it for all outdoor enthusiasts.