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In September, the Bureau of Land Management finalized its motorized vehicle travel management plan for the Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges area outside of Moab. This plan, years in the making and taking into account thousands of public comments, strikes a thoughtful balance between motorized and non-motorized recreation. The balance is long overdue and urgently needed.
The Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges area — known and beloved far beyond Utah — is home to irreplaceable cultural sites, important wildlife habitat, and unmatched quiet recreation opportunities. It encompasses the Labyrinth Canyon section of the Green River as well as its many side canyons, including Ten Mile, Hell Roaring, Spring, and Mineral Canyons.
Labyrinth Canyon itself is a unique gem where more than 40 miles of the placid Green River flow through towering red rock canyons. It provides a multi-day wilderness experience that is suitable for families in canoes and rafts and can be enjoyed by boaters of all experience levels.
Like much of Utah, the Labyrinth area has seen a dramatic increase in motorized recreation over the past decade. The increase has led to a dense web of motorized routes crisscrossing this area. It has also resulted in significant harm to fragile riparian areas — the wetlands along rivers and streams that are among the most important and productive ecosystems in the state. Motorized use has also caused well-documented and ongoing damage to biological soil crusts, cultural sites and wildlife habitat throughout the area.
The recent Bureau of Land Management decision brings some much-needed balance to this place. It closes some dirt trails to protect cultural sites, riparian habitat and the experience of non-motorized recreationists, while still allowing motorized use on over 800 miles of other routes. All told, the decision ensures public access to the area while also preserving the backcountry and minimizing damage to public lands.
Following the Bureau of Land Management decision, misinformation has been rampant among those unhappy with the outcome. Unfortunately, there are some who will not be satisfied unless every inch of Utah's public lands are blanketed in motorized routes.
The Bureau of Land Management plan continues to provide motorized and non-motorized access to the Green River and stunning overlooks. It provides access to trailheads. It provides ample motorized recreation experiences. It also does not affect motorized use on the over 4,000 additional miles of dirt roads and trails in the greater Moab area.
The Bureau of Land Management is a multiple-use agency, which means it must manage for many different uses and resources on public lands. It does not mean that every use is available everywhere, all the time. Instead, the agency must balance competing resources and resource users. A part of that work means making adjustments along the way as to what uses should occur where.
Motorized vehicles provide one type of outdoor recreation opportunity, but that use can have an outsized impact on the land and other, non-motorized recreationists, especially those seeking quiet time with family and friends. Because of that, it's critical that motorized vehicle use is carefully planned and reasonably managed. The Bureau of Land Management Labyrinth Canyon travel plan is an important step forward to bring balanced management to this remarkable stretch of red rock country.
Over the next several years, the Bureau of Land Management must complete eight more motorized travel plans across the state. These plans should ensure 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.
