317 Miles of Moab Trails Are Being Closed

Not so much a may, as a will.

I went out there a couple years ago and spoke to some locals who said that the 4x4 tourism is one of their main sources of income. I really hope the residents don't feel too impacted by this

317 miles of trail already closed.

Tredsdert said:

Let's be honest here, the only reason you would be against this is if you didn't care about keeping nature beautiful. I'm pretty sure those black tire tracks that are embedded in the rock surfaced at this point aren't natural. Also all the wells out there are black at the bottom, loaded up with years of oil and fuel being spilled into the bottom of them.

Personally I like going off-roading because it allows me to get closer to nature and to go places that it would be hard to get to through hiking alone.

I would probably be apt to say that most of us are environmentally conscious off-roaders who think first before we are attach our winch to any and everything available to us. But with the growing number of off-roaders, there are in fact a growing number of off-road places. Just here in Dallas alone in the last 5 years I've seen four new places open up.

There will be other trails, and if you really care about nature, it wouldn't be such a big deal for you. Nobody's saying you can't go there, they're just saying you can't drive there.

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By your logic, literally all of Moab should be barred from motorized use not just the recently closed trails. Every trail near me in GA as well because of ruts and erosion. Hell might as well ban any access to any road/trail that isn't concrete or asphalt, because nature is so beautiful and any impact on it should be stopped. Nevermind the concrete jungles that we have literally scorched the earth for, the vast amounts of clear cut forests to make more neighborhoods, that's the kind of destruction we like. ?

Make no mistake SUWA, and organizations like them, will not stop until all outdoor activities are deemed fit by them. And I do mean all, including all privately owned land and every offroad park. To deny this is asinine as we see it everywhere. Regardless of people adhering to the treadlightly principles, no matter how many clean up events we organize and perform, spineless unelected bureaucrats in the USFS and BLM will continue to close large swaths of land at the behest of ecoterrorists. Because actually solving problems is not a priority of the government, much easier to just ban whatever it is you don't like and be done with it.

Also, it sure is really cool to 100% ban disabled people to access said public land(s) that they have every right to just as hikers do.

Tredsdert said:

Let's be honest here, the only reason you would be against this is if you didn't care about keeping nature beautiful. I'm pretty sure those black tire tracks that are embedded in the rock surfaced at this point aren't natural. Also all the wells out there are black at the bottom, loaded up with years of oil and fuel being spilled into the bottom of them.

There will be other trails, and if you really care about nature, it wouldn't be such a big deal for you. Nobody's saying you can't go there, they're just saying you can't drive there.

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Greg,
I am shocked by your response! I am all about keeping nature beautiful but what good is that if you can't see it. These specific 317 miles of trail include some of the most iconic trails in the area and a significant portion of the total trails in the area. When they say closed the mean CLOSED. You can't legally ride a bicycle on them. You can't legally land a plane or helicopter there. Basically, unless you are able (and willing) to walk many mile in the desert sun and sand, you can no longer go to Hey Joe canyon or any of the other viewpoints accessed by these trails.

I am not flaming you at all. I am just saying that the trend is away from being able to go Jeeping in nature and toward Off Road Adventure Parks. Those are two completely different things. I think there must be a sensible alternative between closing these trail entirely and a free for all. You mentioned oil in wells. I have never seen that and never seen anyone intentionally dumping oil. People in Moab are generally pretty careful and the environment.

I'm one of those disabled. I use my jeep to get to places I can't walk to. Where is ADA.

Tredsdert said:

Did everyone forget about the 810 miles of still usable OHV trails in Moab???

I'd be careful bring politics into this thread. That stuff will get you banned. ?

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Not talking politics. But the only way to stop the madness is through letting your elected reps know your opinion, whatever it is.

Tredsdert said:

No one said it was fair, but they only closed 317 miles of the original 1,127 miles.

We still have 810 miles of trails to use. How greedy you gotta be!?

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The hubris here is just hilarious. Give it another decade and see how much is gone then, then another after that, so on and so forth. If you are willing to give an inch, you are willing to give a mile until there is nothing left to give. Make no mistake, it is going to happen and it will be ushered along by those with attitudes such as yours.

I gotta agree with @Tredsdert to a point, I get what he’s saying. Anymore it’s like people are hung up on the objective of doing the difficult obstacles. Hell, you have to wait in Yellowstone like lines sometimes. Then there are those who want the photo op, or are making videos for their site/channel/page. The desire to cram a years worth of fun into 3-4 days makes people anxious and unable relax and just enjoy being out there. Those people who are in a rush to check as many boxes in their short time, then leave, kinda ruin it for those who are just happy to be there.

Probably whats driving this more than anything is all the bonehead stuff that you see being posted on YouTube, TikTok, etc.

I was just thinking a few hours ago how the reason to go off road was to get tho that hunting/fishing/hiking spot that those with regular cars couldn’t get to. These days it’s more about testing the limit of the machine you’re driving.

That having been said, public land belongs to all of us. There should be little of any restriction on accessing it. That doesn’t mean though to cut your own trails and tear the land up.

Tredsdert said:

Did everyone forget about the 810 miles of still usable OHV trails in Moab???

I'd be careful bring politics into this thread. That stuff will get you banned. ?

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Maybe when 95% of the trails are gone, people will notice.

Like in Texas, where 95% of the land is private.

https://www.texaslandconservancy.org/our-work#:~:text=Protecting Land,in Texas is privately owned.

No wonder 4 places have opened up, there’s nowhere to go. I assume these are free? No? Daily use fee? Perfect.


May your chains rest lightly, Tredsdert

Honestly, i have not been to Moab in several years. I figure that if I want to sit in a line of cars, I can do that right here in Denver. But I have been to other areas of UT and CO and NM that are less travelled. For me, I like being able to tackle significant obstacles but that is NOT why I am there. I love to visit the scenic over looks like those that are now off limits in Moab. I love to visit ghost towns and historic spots that are far from the beaten path. One of the most memorable was a visit to Hole in the Rock. Not the tourist trap but the actual spot(s) where Mormon pioneers crossed the Colorado River a century and a half ago. It is an amazing story and incredible to see. You can't really get to the east side but it is a two day adventure to get to the end of the trail. On the west side it is about 50 or 75 miles of bad dirt road to get to the top on the cut. These folks lowered their wagons down to the river. Like 1000'. They were some hardy folks.

Anyway, my optimal Jeep group is 3-5 vehicles. More than that and your are sitting in traffic. Like I said earlier, there must be some sort of compromise between just closing areas and overpopulating them. I don't pretend to be smart enough to know what it is. Just that it has to be found.

Here's a new place in Texas. Pricey, but full access 11 1/2 months a year.

https://merusadventure.com/

Tredsdert said:

Sometimes you just got to pick and choose your battles.

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I agree. But I also think some battles are more important than others.

Anyone know what Tread Lightly's stand is on this? Aren't they the action/lobby group that advocates for access to trails on public land?