The Bureau of Land Management in Southern Utah is updating the travel management in the Paunsaugunt area near Kanab. This area includes 451 miles of routes that will be analyzed, and we think they should keep every mile of these routes open. They are asking anyone with information regarding routes in this area to submit comments so they can best address travel management needs. This area is ideal for OHV use and provides access to popular areas such as Peekaboo Loop, Hog Canyon, and other areas north of Kanab. In our experience, BLM maps can often be incomplete and we do not want to see routes closed simply because they were not inventoried. If you have on the ground knowledge of this area, please submit feedback. We need your help to submit comments supporting recreational access on public lands and the importance of it. The comment deadline is March 25, 2022.
Much of the terrain in the Paunsaugunt area is sandy and remote. The best way to access this area is by OHV, and this area should be maintained as a premier destination for OHV recreation. It should also be noted that the area is adjacent to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, which is managed more restrictively and contains numerous wilderness study areas. To the West you have Zion National Park, which doesn’t allow OHV recreation. To the North is Bryce Canyon National Park. Paunsaugunt is one of the few remaining areas in this region that allows for a true multiple use recreation experience, and multiple use access should be prioritized in this area.
We’ve been on the ground to document routes and use patterns in this area, and we’re hoping all OHV users who explore this area spread the word about this planing process.
You can review BLM documentation here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017395/510
You can review the BLM’s interactive map here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/EPLCommentMap/?itemId=3adc52affaef4d5cba31c78c2f9e62f7
The Paunsaugunt Travel Management Area is one of the areas that is being reviewed as part of a settlement with wilderness advocates. As part of this settlement, we are fighting to keep over 10,000 miles of roads and trails open for motorized recreation in Utah in what we call the 10,000+ Project.
Wilderness advocates are working through this same process to try to close many beloved trails, and we have found we have to plan on going to court for each of these travel areas. If you support keeping these areas open, we invite you to become a $5 a month subscribing member of the 10,000+ Project to give us the resources we need to fight for these trails in court.
