How to celebrate National Public Lands Day across Utah this weekend

SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday marks 32 years of National Public Lands Day, a holiday that celebrates all things public lands.

The holiday, now held every fourth Saturday in September, typically attracts thousands of volunteers who assist in cleaning up public lands, but there are also several educational events planned in Utah this weekend.

Celebrate at national parks

National Public Lands Day is no longer a free entry day at national parks, but that doesn't mean there aren't events or even some fee waivers.

Capitol Reef National Park is celebrating the holiday with its Reef Ride Bike Days. Scenic Drive will be closed to vehicles from sunrise to 2 p.m. for bicyclists and walkers to explore the popular 7.9-mile park route "at a slower pace."

"The bikes-only portion will begin after the (Fruita) campground and provide access to Grand Wash, Capitol Gorge and Pleasant Creek," park officials note. "Some bicyclists may also choose to ride the dirt roads into Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge, although these may not be suitable for road bikes."

The event is free to attend.

Other events:

• Volunteers will help remove invasive tamarisk plants at Zion National Park from 8 a.m. to noon. Participants can receive a one-time free entrance coupon to a federal public lands site that has an entrance fee, organizers noted.
• Another volunteer event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Arches National Park. Park entrance fees are waived for all volunteers.
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, along the Utah-Arizona border, is holding a community trash cleanup between Main Ramp and Swim Beach in Wahweap on Sunday. That is also free, running from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Learn San Rafael Swell's history

The Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Historic Preservation Office and the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office are teaming up for an event highlighting prehistoric and historic sites scattered across the popular San Rafael Swell Recreation Area in central Utah.

The area features thousands of ancient rock art pieces, but also traces of early ranching history after Utah's pioneer settlement and even historical inscriptions left by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. Some cabins and structures still remain from the long history of human existence within the region, along with infrastructure tied to Atomic Energy Commission work and Cold War test sites from the 1950s.

All activities are free. Experts will be at five key sites from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday:

• Buckhorn Wash Panels
• San Rafael Bridge (Swinging Bridge)
• Swasey's Cabin
• Temple Mountain
• MK Tunnels

Keeping it local

While many might think of national or state parks, monuments or other designated open spaces when they think of public lands, it also applies to smaller places like city parks, which are key draws for communities.

That's why the Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands is hosting an event at Liberty Park, 600 E. 900 South, which includes various all-ages activities, including arts and crafts, balloon art and live music from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The city's different park planners and outdoor representatives will also be there to answer questions about many of the city's ongoing parks projects.

"It's so important to take care of urban parks because they require such a different level of maintenance, care and planning because of the communities they serve," said Jana Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the department. "A national park is a broad international park, whereas (a local park like) Steenblik, we want to target the Rose Park community."

The event can help residents meet with people who can design parks that meet neighborhood needs, as the city continues to hammer out projects tied to the $85 million bond residents approved in 2022 to improve parks.

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