List of Closed Moab Trails

[contented]

I’ve been looking for a comprehensive written list of the recently closed trails in Moab without much success. Can someone point me in the proper direction? Also, what is the current status of the closures? I’m planning a Colorado, Moab and Sand Hollow trip later this year and trying to assemble a list of trails to do.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks. Contented

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[Felix808]

If you go to https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ they have removed all closed trails from their maps & you can read about what trails interest you, though you have to be a paid member to see some of the trails while others are open to free members.

 

[contented]

If you go to https://www.trailsoffroad.com/ they have removed all closed trails from their maps & you can read about what trails interest you, though you have to be a paid member to see some of the trails while others are open to free members.

@Felix808, thank you. I’m a Trailsoffroad.com subscriber, but somehow missed that they’d removed all the closed trails from the app. Answers my question.

Thanks again. Contented

 

[Felix808]

No problem. I reached out to them about Gold Bar Rim which I was happy to hear only a spur had been closed so looking to run that in early May with Little Canyon. Todd had answered my question adding that they had removed all closed trails from the map .

 

[orion]

Anyone have info on how the fight to get then back is going?

 

[RagnarKon]

Anyone have info on how the fight to get then back is going?

It’s in federal court.

The argument the off-road organizations are making is that the BLM didn’t complete their environmental impact correctly, which… honestly… probably won’t hold water in court. But we’ll see.

in the mean time… all need to make sure we stay off the close trails. Part of reason why we’re in this mess is because Moab has become extremely popular and so many people were venturing off the established trails. Granted… in my experience, members of 4x4 off-road community were always pretty good about it. Usually the problems came from those on dirt bikes and side-by-sides (often just people renting them). But still… wouldn’t want to make the problem worse for ourselves.

 

[Callelk]

Well, BLM is closing hundreds of miles of trails here in Idaho.

 

[Callelk]

It’s in federal court.

The argument the off-road organizations are making is that the BLM didn’t complete their environmental impact correctly, which… honestly… probably won’t hold water in court. But we’ll see.

in the mean time… all need to make sure we stay off the close trails. Part of reason why we’re in this mess is because Moab has become extremely popular and so many people were venturing off the established trails. Granted… in my experience, members of 4x4 off-road community were always pretty good about it. Usually the problems came from those on dirt bikes and side-by-sides (often just people renting them). But still… wouldn’t want to make the problem worse for ourselves.

A lot of it has to do with politics unfortunately.

I have worked with USDA FS and BLM for decades and they have been closing roads that have been accessible for half a century because they do not want to maintain them (read spend money elsewhere).

Speaking of environmental impact reports, in the Boise National Forest the USDA FS decided to close a major forest service road. Their environmental impact report stated that in removing culverts, plowing up the road, etc would clog a major stream and would likely kill tens of thousands of fish that use the stream to spawn. It was approved because the cost to maintain the road was considered a higher impact ($ to them) than it would be for the environment. This was almost 20 years ago and due to erosion the stream has still not recovered. I live 15 miles from a major USDA FS nursery and it has sat fallow for at least the last 10 years.

 

[RagnarKon]

A lot of it has to do with politics unfortunately.

I have worked with USDA FS and BLM for decades and they have been closing roads that have been accessible for half a century because they do not want to maintain them (read spend money elsewhere).

Oh yeah. Grew up in a rural town in northern Arizona. The two biggest employers were the hospital system and BLM. So naturally I knew a lot of BLM employees. Almost worked for the agency myself, but decided to head to the east coast. (Not working for BLM was probably a good move, but heading to the east coast was definitely not.)

They often described working for BLM as being stuck between a billion different special interest groups who all want different things with no funding to actually do anything. Many of BLM employees are just like us… enjoy the outdoors, off-roading, hunting, fishing, camping, etc. But they don’t have the funding or resources to maintain the land properly—especially with the drought and wildfires consuming so many resources—so they are often forced to shut stuff down.

 

[Callelk]

Oh yeah. Grew up in a rural town in northern Arizona. The two biggest employers were the hospital system and BLM. So naturally I knew a lot of BLM employees. Almost worked for the agency myself, but decided to head to the east coast. (Not working for BLM was probably a good move, but heading to the east coast was definitely not.)

They often described working for BLM as being stuck between a billion different special interest groups who all want different things with no funding to actually do anything. Many of BLM employees are just like us… enjoy the outdoors, off-roading, hunting, fishing, camping, etc. But they don’t have the funding or resources to maintain the land properly—especially with the drought and wildfires consuming so many resources—so they are often forced to shut stuff down.

Agree, most BML USDA FS are regular outdoor folk but unfortunately, too many at the top are empire builders/politicians.

Don't get me started on wildland fires, those are self inflicted wounds. I had a set of photos taken by a forest ranger that shown the impact of "wildfire management" over 5 decades. Essentially, he took phots of a side hill from the same vantage point every 5 years. Where wildland fires in the early part of the last century were small and low to the ground which "cleaned" the forest floor of needles/leaves, brush, and volunteer trees, they did not impact the old growth trees. What his photos showed was that fighting wildland fires allowed unnaturally dense growth to the point that there was so much fuel that no amount of manpower and equipment thrown at it could put it out.

Here's one for you, after sending untold pieces of equipment from the west (mostly by C5A's) to battle the Florida Fires of 1998, the USDA FS decided to purchases hundreds of Type 3 Wildland Engines. Congress allocated tens of millions for the equipment but the USDA FS request for money to staff the equipment was denied. They had engines stashed everywhere, unused because they could not rotate most of their current fleet out to replace them with the new engines.

 

[RimrockPaul]

I’ve been looking for a comprehensive written list of the recently closed trails in Moab without much success. Can someone point me in the proper direction? Also, what is the current status of the closures? I’m planning a Colorado, Moab and Sand Hollow trip later this year and trying to assemble a list of trails to do.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks. Contented

I would think BLM would have this available. If not call the BLM office in Moab and ask about it. Road closure info is not just propagated by trail websites like all trails. I would not bet any accuracy on any info except by the whoever makes the rules.

 

[strawhatguy]

It might make sense for BLM to sell the land; more or less turn over management to someone else.
Obviously that new owner would need either donations or a membership/usage fee, but would that be better than closing them entirely?

of course politics would stop such things too I realize.

 

[broadicustomworks]

I know there is too much going on, too many red-tape and liability issues and hurdles...but here on the East Coast we have groups willing, able, and chomping at the bit to maintain/cleanup trails and get stonewalled into not being able to.
I know it goes deeper than picking up trash and clearing downed brush/trees. We all do.
But there is a battalion's worth of people wanting to invest and donate time and energy to it. We just don't get the "all clear" to do so except on established and currently-open trails.
Over here once you lose it, it's gone.
I'd love to wheel Tellico with my kids and let them experience it...but it will never happen.
The wild west and the expanses out there is really all that is left that is worth the travel to.

 

[Alanp970]

Well, BLM is closing hundreds of miles of trails here in Idaho.

Unfortunately BLM can’t be trusted. They came to the 4x4 club I was in back in the late 90’s in Cortez Co. They approached us as advocates to help us grandfather our local trails. They said “Show us your trails so we can make sure we keep them open.” We fell for it and took them on our trails. We were immediately locked out of ALL our trails and they immediately stopped communicating with us. We tried to fight it but back then we didn’t know what to do and there was no social media. THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED

 

[Callelk]

I would think BLM would have this available. If not call the BLM office in Moab and ask about it. Road closure info is not just propagated by trail websites like all trails. I would not bet any accuracy on any info except by the whoever makes the rules.

They do, look at the maps in the left column.

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2001224/510

or: https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_pr...LabyrinthGeminiBridges_Map_Final_20230928.pdf

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