Every Trail Has a Story, You Need to Tell It to Keep It Open
The next few months may be some of the most important for motorized recreation access in Utah in many years. On June 22, three major Travel Management Plans are expected to open for public comment:
- Trail Canyon (Kanab Area)
- Dinosaur North (Vernal Area)
- Dolores River
These will be followed shortly thereafter by two additional planning efforts:
- Henry Mountains Reconsideration
- Paunsaugunt (Kanab Area)
Together, these five plans will determine the future of access to hundreds of roads and trails across some of Utah’s most iconic public lands.
A New Opportunity for Access
For decades, travel management planning has largely operated under policies that encouraged agencies to focus on restrictions, closures, and route reductions. Today, there is a new attitude toward public land access coming from the highest levels of government. Recent policy changes have made it clear that access, recreation, multiple use, and public enjoyment of our lands are once again important priorities.
That is good news.
But policy direction alone will not keep roads and trails open. Agency planners still need evidence. They need facts. They need local knowledge. They need documentation showing why specific routes matter to the public and why they should remain available for future generations.
In short, they need ammunition to justify keeping routes open.
That is where all of us come in.
The Most Important Voice Is Yours
Every trail has a story.
Some provide access to dispersed camping areas. Others connect trail systems, provide access for hunters, support local tourism, allow access for elderly or mobility-impaired visitors, or simply provide families an opportunity to experience the outdoors together.
Agency personnel do not know every route the way local users do. The people who ride, drive, camp, hunt, volunteer, maintain trails, and recreate on these lands possess knowledge that cannot be found in maps, reports, or computer models. If we fail to share that knowledge, agencies may never hear it.
That is why public participation matters.
Introducing TrailSaver Version 2.0
To help make participation easier than ever, UPLA has redesigned our TrailSaver app to be even easier to use and creates even better comments
TrailSaver will guide you through a few simple questions about the roads and trails you know and use. The more information you provide, the stronger your comment becomes.
TrailSaver then uses your responses to generate a detailed, personalized draft comment sent to you by email. Every comment is built from your own experiences, your own observations, and your own knowledge of the area.
We Need Thousands of Good Comments
For years, access advocates have often been outnumbered during public comment periods by organizations dedicated to reducing or eliminating motorized access. That can change.
If thousands of responsible recreationists, hunters, campers, four-wheel drive enthusiasts, OHV riders, ranchers, business owners, veterans, and local residents submit substantive comments explaining why routes matter, agencies will have the information they need to make better decisions. Good comments create a record. Good comments provide justification. Good comments matter.
The future of these roads and trails will be influenced by the quality and quantity of information agencies receive during these comment periods.
Get Ready
Start building your comments now based on experience you already know. We will provide you information on how to submit them by a later email.
A new opportunity for access exists today, but it will only succeed if agencies receive the information they need to support keeping roads and trails open. When these comment periods open, we need everyone to participate.
