Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Thanks to a recent decision by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), visitors to Labyrinth Canyon will hear the gentle murmur of the river and the songs of canyon wrens rather than the loud whine of off-road vehicle engines.
Labyrinth Canyon near Moab is a gem of the American West where more than 40 miles of the Green River flows through towering red rock canyons, providing a multi-day, flatwater wilderness experience that's friendly for families and boaters of all experience levels.
The reputation of the Labyrinth Canyon area is known far beyond Utah. The canyon is home to irreplaceable cultural and historic resources. It provides important wildlife habitat and unmatched recreational opportunities.
The west side of the canyon was designated as Wilderness by Congress in 2019 and the river corridor itself is designated as a Scenic River under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The east side of Labyrinth Canyon is not yet designated wilderness; however, the proposed federal legislation America's Red Rock Wilderness Act would make it so. (Click here to view a story map of the Labyrinth Canyon area).
In late September, the BLM released a new travel plan for the Labyrinth Canyon area. It is designed to guide land management decisions in this 300,000-acre landscape for decades to come. When done right, travel plans are an opportunity to develop reasonable, balanced, and forward-thinking blueprints for an area that ensures public access while preserving the backcountry and minimizing damage to public lands.
The new travel plan allows for motorized recreation on more than 700 miles of routes while still helping to protect cultural sites, riparian habitat and the experience of non-motorized recreationists, such as those seeking a quiet float down the river.
The Labyrinth Canyon travel plan is one of 11 travel plans the BLM is completing over the next few years. Covering more than 6 million acres of BLM-managed lands in eastern and southern Utah, these plans are a real opportunity for the public to help determine where motorized vehicles will be allowed. While the agency has completed two plans, they have yet to finish plans for some of Utah's most unique landscapes, including the San Rafael Swell and the Henry Mountains.
Plans that thoughtfully strike a balance between motorized and non-motorized recreation — such as the one recently finalized in Labyrinth Canyon — are urgently needed. The use of off-road vehicles in Utah including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility task vehicles (UTVs) has nearly doubled in the past 15 years. New off-road vehicles are faster, louder and more capable of reaching into remote areas than ever before.
While these machines provide outdoor recreation opportunities for some, they can have an outsized impact on public land resources and other recreationists, especially those seeking quiet time with family and friends.
The improper use of off-road vehicles harms streams, generates dust, harasses and displaces wildlife and damages cultural sites. It's critical that motorized vehicle use is carefully planned and reasonably controlled.
The BLM's Labyrinth Canyon travel plan is an important step forward to guide the management of Utah's public lands. Over the next several years, the BLM must complete eight more travel plans. This gives the federal agency a chance to get things right by ensuring access to trailheads, scenic overlooks and recreational opportunities while protecting the very reason people want to visit such remote places in the first place: to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of Utah's public lands.
For more information and to thank the BLM for protecting Labyrinth Canyon, click here.
