Hello 2014!
2013 was a great year and we are looking forward to our 20th year in 2014. We can hardly believe it either!
While the natural landscape hasn’t changed too much and the rivers still flow in the same directions, our trail systems, for hiking and biking have been steadily evolving.
In the past few years, both the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service have written new management plans for non-motorized travel. With the help of Trail Mix(a county sponsored advisory committee for non-motorized trails) and a myriad of volunteers, Moab has built 75 miles of new singletrack on BLM lands and there is more on the way. In September 2013, the Forest Service issued its Moab Non-motorized Trail Plan for the La Sal Mountains and starting when the snow melts in 2014 we can look forward to more alpine trails.
Oh, we can’t forget Dead Horse State Park. The park and Trail Mix have been busy creating some more great singletrack which offers, I believe, some of the best view of Canyonlands National Park and of the whole area.
Another new and exciting advance is the creation of a Moab Chapter of IMBA(International Mountain Biking Association)! Every year hundreds of people flock to our little town in the middle of nowhere to recreate in its beauty. In order to create, maintain and sustain our system of trails, we need help from those visitors who love this place as much as we do. Please check out the new website, moabmba.com and consider becoming a member of our Chapter!
I also invite any of you to read up on potential energy development around this area. Recent and future sales of oil and gas leases could affect the landscape around Arches and Canyonlands National Park, along the Green River (Labyrinth Canyon) and other scenic areas. Please check out the Moab BLM Field office website or contact them for more information.
Well, that’s it for now. See you soon!