In promising news for the off-road community, the Bureau of Land Management has today proposed re-opening approximately half of the 317 miles of Jeep trails near Moab, UT, that were previously closed by the Biden Administration. The closures are the subject of an ongoing legal challenge in federal court, brought by TPPF on behalf of the BlueRibbon Coalition, Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders, and Patrick McKay, an individual. The proposed list of re-opened routes, along with a map, were posted to the federal government’s ePlanning portal. The public has 30 days to comment on the Proposed Redesignation, at which time a final decision will be made.
“These trails are not open yet, but this is a positive step in the right direction,” said Matt Miller, a senior attorney at TPPF and lead counsel in the federal court case. “This is the news the off-roading community has been waiting for. Most of the big trails are proposed for reopening. There is at least one major trail that is not on the list — Ten Mile Wash—and that is disappointing. But Hey Joe Canyon, Deadman Point, Dead Cow Loop, Day Canyon Point, Hell Roaring Canyon, Mineral Canyon, and key Green River overlooks could be open for exploration again very soon.”
“We are still assessing what this means for the court case,” said TPPF attorney Clayton Calvin. “For the time being, all routes remain closed, and about half the routes are proposed to remain permanently closed. We intend to fight until everything that was closed is open once more. But today’s announcement is certainly good news.”