F350joe
Well-known member
Men's Journal | Health, Adventure, Gear, Style
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Some good news
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waveslider
Outdoorsman
Has anyone been able to find online maps of the various changes? For example the Owyhee wilderness changes refer to a Map-set from like 2016 or something and I can't find it anywhere. I suspect its only available in-person at BLM locations.
If so, it smacks of another example of "you'll have to pass it to read it". Sigh.
If so, it smacks of another example of "you'll have to pass it to read it". Sigh.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The Emery County portion isn't good for mechanized travel (including bikes). When they say "worked on for 20 years" it means that the proponents of Wilderness got their whole original wish list over the compromises that had occurred up until now. Last time this was given public attention was 2008, when the current RMP was put in place (the last trail and road inventory of which I'm aware) and last time these changes were advanced (and rejected) was 2017's Red Rock Wilderness Act.
Magically six Wilderness Study Areas of roughly 450,000 acres became 14 Wilderness with 660,000 acres instead.
WSAs north of I-70 are currently Sids Mountain and Mexican Mountain
But the new Wilderness are Sids Mountain, Mexican Mountain, Cold Wash and an expanded Devils Canyon
WSAs south of I-70 are San Rafael Reef, Devils Canyon, Muddy Creek, Crack Canyon
But the new Wilderness are Devils Canyon, San Rafael Reef, Muddy Creek, Crack Canyon, Reds Canyon, Horse Valley, Little Wild Canyon, Middle Horse Valley, Big Horse Mesa, Rhino Head and Little Ocean Draw
It required a land swap and approval of the County commissioners, who gave a one day hearing notice and listened to nonsense about 75 miles of primitive roads they claimed were already closed, a few of which (between McKay Flat and Temple Mountain) I can tell you as recently as January 2019 were still mapped, signed on the ground and recently traveled by others besides me.
Nope, those are to apparently be closed without public comment or new inventory and travel plans. At least one really good MTB single track (the Waterfall) I know of will be lost and all the current dispersed camping in the south and east of the San Rafael Swell over to UT24 appears to be eliminated or absorbed into a larger Goblin Valley State Park. All the OHV and camping will be concentrated into the middle San Rafael Swell Recreation Area with presumably a handful of the current improved roads and perhaps a few nationally known trails cherry stemmed in (Devils Racetrack, Blue/Green/Orange/Red trail, 5 Miles of Hell, etc).
Not sure if the current mapping is correct to protect a route that exists connecting Behind the Reef to Hidden Splendor, which is currently connectable using bikes, motorcycles or narrow ATVs. The 2008 RMP has a few broken sections there but hasn't been updated AFAIK.
Oh, and grazing wasn't disallowed. So those roads will still exist and any current gates will get locks I guess.
Magically six Wilderness Study Areas of roughly 450,000 acres became 14 Wilderness with 660,000 acres instead.
WSAs north of I-70 are currently Sids Mountain and Mexican Mountain
But the new Wilderness are Sids Mountain, Mexican Mountain, Cold Wash and an expanded Devils Canyon
WSAs south of I-70 are San Rafael Reef, Devils Canyon, Muddy Creek, Crack Canyon
But the new Wilderness are Devils Canyon, San Rafael Reef, Muddy Creek, Crack Canyon, Reds Canyon, Horse Valley, Little Wild Canyon, Middle Horse Valley, Big Horse Mesa, Rhino Head and Little Ocean Draw
It required a land swap and approval of the County commissioners, who gave a one day hearing notice and listened to nonsense about 75 miles of primitive roads they claimed were already closed, a few of which (between McKay Flat and Temple Mountain) I can tell you as recently as January 2019 were still mapped, signed on the ground and recently traveled by others besides me.
Nope, those are to apparently be closed without public comment or new inventory and travel plans. At least one really good MTB single track (the Waterfall) I know of will be lost and all the current dispersed camping in the south and east of the San Rafael Swell over to UT24 appears to be eliminated or absorbed into a larger Goblin Valley State Park. All the OHV and camping will be concentrated into the middle San Rafael Swell Recreation Area with presumably a handful of the current improved roads and perhaps a few nationally known trails cherry stemmed in (Devils Racetrack, Blue/Green/Orange/Red trail, 5 Miles of Hell, etc).
Not sure if the current mapping is correct to protect a route that exists connecting Behind the Reef to Hidden Splendor, which is currently connectable using bikes, motorcycles or narrow ATVs. The 2008 RMP has a few broken sections there but hasn't been updated AFAIK.
Oh, and grazing wasn't disallowed. So those roads will still exist and any current gates will get locks I guess.
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I would disagree on the Emery County / Swell part of this deal. When I first visited the swell some 20 years ago, I was quite surprised that such a unique and beautiful area didn't have some sort of protection. However, at that point the protection was that it really hadn't been discovered and usage was pretty low. However, since then the are has been well and truly discovered, usage has skyrocketed and I am sad to say that the area is being trashed. There are no self contained toilet requirements so many of the dispersed campsites are littered with toilet paper and worse, not to mention huge amounts of trigger trash. There is lots of evidence of off trail ATV use, particularly folks riding down the washes from behind the reef road, and new spurs for dispersed camping etc. I am not sure these new designations will fix any of this, but they should at least pass the message that this is a special place, not some random BLM land to go rip up.
The protection of Labyrinth Canyon was an obvious one, as it is feeds directly into Canyon Lands NP. The access to this and Desolation Canyon won't really change as these were primarily used by rafters/canoeists.
The fact that Emery County, Outdoor Alliance, SUWA, and most of Utah's republican delegation (politically they couldn't be more different), were all supportive of this, but also disappointed that they didn't get all they want is indicative of a compromise. I too am a little disappointed in the expansion of Goblin Valley (not so much on a practical level but on the philosophical level of transferring federal land to the state), but understand that this is far better than doing nothing.
The protection of Labyrinth Canyon was an obvious one, as it is feeds directly into Canyon Lands NP. The access to this and Desolation Canyon won't really change as these were primarily used by rafters/canoeists.
The fact that Emery County, Outdoor Alliance, SUWA, and most of Utah's republican delegation (politically they couldn't be more different), were all supportive of this, but also disappointed that they didn't get all they want is indicative of a compromise. I too am a little disappointed in the expansion of Goblin Valley (not so much on a practical level but on the philosophical level of transferring federal land to the state), but understand that this is far better than doing nothing.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
@Rando, philosophically I do concede your points. I agree that the existing WSAs likely needed further discussion. What I find offensive is the way it was imposed, basically giving SUWA their whole slate without new proposed WSAs to encompass the additional Wildernesses to the south and west of Goblin Valley nor much time to digest or comment.
It would have been more appropriate to me to make Rhino Head and the four Horse Mesa Wildernesses at least WSAs (or perhaps a completely different designation) to give time to make adjustments that don't shut them completely and maybe create a corridor that connects road 1012 to Behind The Reef and to assure 1012/Hidden Splendor, 1019 and 1021 are mapped correctly.
There's a lot of interesting views and mine ruins back there that make a really cool loop. It's not a great distance, probably 10-to-15 miles from Temple Mt Road (assuming they create trailheads, which would have to me seemed ideal to have off Hidden Splendor or a perhaps improved 851), if it was ultimately deemed necessary to make it non-motorized. Keep 854/855/858 as non-motorized, they would be great MTB trails.
They also lied when they told the commissioners these were closed roads when they are signed, exist on the 2008 RMP (just not labeled) and still clearly not overgrown. I personally took this photo Jan 19, 2019. It was signed as road 6761 coming off McKay Flat and connecting to 858. I intended to travel 854 and 855 this spring and Waterfall Trail is marked 847. These the types of class-D/primitive roads that SUWA sued the BLM to shut down in 2008.
What I'm talking about is B 6761 and 858. That photo is right about the middle of the map and I have the map legend shown below. Solid black is "Open Routes All Vehicles" and "Most Difficult" from this:
http://sanrafaelcountry.com/Maps/motorizedvehiclemap.pdf
Or here on the Wayback Machine just in case the original PDF map disappears:
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sanrafaelcountry.com/Maps/motorizedvehiclemap.pdf
This is how they were most recently mapped in 2008 by the BLM. So they are incomplete. The lollipop of 854 and 855 are called "Designated Routes Under San Rafael OHV Plan" on this and are clearly present. Maybe they intended others to be open, maybe they intended to be closed. But they are interrupted and confusing officially. Even the Waterfall isn't shown properly, which I presume is why it risks closure. And how do/did the floating lengths of trails get mapped without any apparent way to get there?
I attached that map (5_price_travel-plan_map_2008.pdf)
And this is only one small section, there's so much throughout the Swell that needs to be clarified. That's the point of a Wilderness Study Area, to study, inventory and see what can be done. The existing WSAs forced more traffic into these areas because people adjusted to them. And I don't even disagree in principle about protecting, I think Wilderness is too abrupt mostly. Some of it should be, some other.
It would have been more appropriate to me to make Rhino Head and the four Horse Mesa Wildernesses at least WSAs (or perhaps a completely different designation) to give time to make adjustments that don't shut them completely and maybe create a corridor that connects road 1012 to Behind The Reef and to assure 1012/Hidden Splendor, 1019 and 1021 are mapped correctly.
There's a lot of interesting views and mine ruins back there that make a really cool loop. It's not a great distance, probably 10-to-15 miles from Temple Mt Road (assuming they create trailheads, which would have to me seemed ideal to have off Hidden Splendor or a perhaps improved 851), if it was ultimately deemed necessary to make it non-motorized. Keep 854/855/858 as non-motorized, they would be great MTB trails.
They also lied when they told the commissioners these were closed roads when they are signed, exist on the 2008 RMP (just not labeled) and still clearly not overgrown. I personally took this photo Jan 19, 2019. It was signed as road 6761 coming off McKay Flat and connecting to 858. I intended to travel 854 and 855 this spring and Waterfall Trail is marked 847. These the types of class-D/primitive roads that SUWA sued the BLM to shut down in 2008.
What I'm talking about is B 6761 and 858. That photo is right about the middle of the map and I have the map legend shown below. Solid black is "Open Routes All Vehicles" and "Most Difficult" from this:
http://sanrafaelcountry.com/Maps/motorizedvehiclemap.pdf
Or here on the Wayback Machine just in case the original PDF map disappears:
https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sanrafaelcountry.com/Maps/motorizedvehiclemap.pdf
This is how they were most recently mapped in 2008 by the BLM. So they are incomplete. The lollipop of 854 and 855 are called "Designated Routes Under San Rafael OHV Plan" on this and are clearly present. Maybe they intended others to be open, maybe they intended to be closed. But they are interrupted and confusing officially. Even the Waterfall isn't shown properly, which I presume is why it risks closure. And how do/did the floating lengths of trails get mapped without any apparent way to get there?
I attached that map (5_price_travel-plan_map_2008.pdf)
And this is only one small section, there's so much throughout the Swell that needs to be clarified. That's the point of a Wilderness Study Area, to study, inventory and see what can be done. The existing WSAs forced more traffic into these areas because people adjusted to them. And I don't even disagree in principle about protecting, I think Wilderness is too abrupt mostly. Some of it should be, some other.
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Clutch
<---Pass
Have you looked at this?
Idaho Trails Mapping Applications
IDPR maintains mapping applications tailored for summer and winter activities. Choose below. Summer Trails Choose option: Advanced or Mobile Two versions of the Idaho Trails App cover all devices: Advanced is full-featured, usable on PCs, iOS devices, plus Android devices with extended...
trails.idaho.gov
Would assume they keep it fairly up to date.
waveslider
Outdoorsman
That appears to have not been updated/changed. Unless the changes are so small as to go undetected by someone that is familiar with the areas.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
What I am showing is from the travel plan and rules everyone has been operating under that date back to 2008. The current Wilderness Study Areas resulted from compromise at the time between user groups.
Realize that the area has been contentious for decades, the subject of lawsuits going back to the 1990s, brought to force the BLM to close the area. There were judgements against the suits going back to at least 2004 that I'm aware. There was an agreement between the BLM, SUWA, Sierra Club, several energy companies, BlueRibbon, COHVCO, etc. in January 2017 to end the Federal lawsuits encompassing the BLM management within Kanab, Moab, Monticello, Price, Richfield and Vernal field offices.
https://sharetrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/513-1-SettlementAgreement.pdf
I can only surmise SUWA was never genuine about honoring it. They had the proposed Wilderness map (see attached PDF) ready to go the moment they got a favorable political environment. The issue arose in November 2018 and availability of the maps was further delayed due to the government shutdown, leaving just a few weeks for any notice and action. The Emery County bill was in the monster S.47 bill introduced just 5 days after the new Congress was sworn in.
http://www.sageridersmc.com/land-use-issues.html
What was actually enacted this year means a significant amount of what is blue, black or red on this BLM travel map will be closed, consisting of about 75 miles of routes on unmaintained and primitive County roads on about 220,000 acres of open BLM range land that will be added to existing WSAs. A few high profile trails appear to be cherry stemmed but mostly what remains are graded dirt highways wedged between Wildernesses when you compare the current travel plan to the proposed (now enacted?) Wildernesses.
What I'm highlighting is despite the rhetoric these roads were not already closed. There are seven new Wildernesses that were never WSAs and opponents were given a last minute commissioner meeting notice in Emery County as the only opportunity to comment. Which was pointless since by then was already a done deal and only a formality to having the commissioners rubber stamp a land swap necessary to complete the proposal.
Now it appears all the mechanized (remembering MTBs are being swept off, too, which was why I was there last weekend) trail users and dispersed camping are going to get further concentrated in the new recreation area centered around Swasey Cabin.
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