Trails around Salt Lake

[sixstringsteve]

Ozzy, wait 'till you meet kurt, you'll really like him. Honest. His avatar makes him look like a grouchy old man, but he's a young guy like us who knows more about utah's trails than any other person I've met. He fights the good fight for us, and he has more contacts with the BLM and Forest service than I can count. When he "dishes it out," it's not personal, it's just to lay the facts straight. I've been put in my place several times by Kurt, but I don't take it personally because I know Kurt. He's like the wise sherpa that sits at the foot of everest and can tell the weather from the scent in the air.

Anyway, i love your enthusiasm for more trails.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I love this Ozzy kid's ASSumptions, isn't ignorance so blissful.... I need some popcorn and a comfy chair for the entertainment!!

 

[cannoncrawler]

Idaho, Utah's hat

UTAH, Idaho's Footstool!

I mean they do have potatoes. I actually like exploring in Idaho but this is really the first I've heard of it being a hardcore crawling magaspot for flat-biller ballers like me.

Maybe thats why you don't get invited to the cool stuff!

(I have nothing productive to add)


Eric, I do have to agree that geography and population limit what is there. If Idaho falls was as big as SLC we would lose 2 major Crawling areas that are 10 mins from town. (which would leave plenty )

 

[ozzy702]

I wasn't responding to your 'honest question', I was replying to your misleading and misinforming comments. How my comment was deemed a 'poor attitude' is beyond me.

Lets get the crayons out. Find a map of Utah and draw a 50 mile radius around Salt Lake... color it red as its likely private property or a new subdivision in the works. Now shade everything north of Spanish Fork and west of I-15 blue as its likely Forest Service land and the charter of the FS has zero interest in holding routes that don't service 99% of their users and thus are not managed as such. Now, color everything west of the Wasatch Front green, its good to go but it is comprised of mostly desert, some love it, others loathe it, I'm not in your shoes to decide. Now, everything south of Spanish Fork is too far of a drive for you so color it any color that inspires you to drive more than 1 hour.

The real answer, a combination of lack of topography, land ownership, lack of demand, lack of investment and urban sprawl. You can't argue that the Wasatch Front has the best balance of year round recreation and base for adventure but if having a rock-crawling hotspot in every direction is your need, you chose the wrong place to live.

Now your getting my poor attitude

That's the kind of information I was looking for. And for the record, my question was honest and I do appreciate your response above.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

... I know Kurt. He's like the wise sherpa that sits at the foot of everest and can tell the weather from the scent in the air.

That could top Joseph's tongue in cheek comment as my new sig line

No hard feelings here guys, I think we can all agree it would be cool if there were far more trails here in Utah, I mean more is always better in this case. ozzy it sounds like your new to Utah, you might spend some time in the trip reports section to get a feel for some of the things Utah has to offer. One thing that affects all aspects of our hobby/sport/industry is apathy and unfortunately the rock-crawling scene that was huge here 5-6 years ago has really petered to the point that national rock-crawl comps come to Utah and we have just a couple of local competitors to root for where as there used to be dozens, the scene has faded to some degree and with that came the drive to find new trails before it was (is) to late. There are still some ares in the hour radius that are open to cross-country travel (i.e. new route construction) but they are primarily the flat desert and finding a suitable route is a difficult proposition.

 

[ozzy702]

I love this Ozzy kid's ASSumptions, isn't ignorance so blissful.... I need some popcorn and a comfy chair for the entertainment!!

Glad to entertain. No assumptions were made. There are two areas within an hours and a halfs drive of salt lake to wheel and a handful that are within two to three hours. I can accept that and I look forward to seeing some of the trails down south. I was just curious why there weren't more.

No need to be rude, childish and condescending.

 

[ozzy702]

I think we can all agree it would be cool if there were far more trails here in Utah, I mean more is always better in this case. ozzy it sounds like your new to Utah, you might spend some time in the trip reports section to get a feel for some of the things Utah has to offer.

I've been going through the trip reports section which is actually what led me to post in this thread. From the sounds of it delta has some trails I'd love to check out.

One thing that affects all aspects of our hobby/sport/industry is apathy and unfortunately the rock-crawling scene that was huge here 5-6 years ago has really petered to the point that national rock-crawl comps come to Utah and we have just a couple of local competitors to root for where as there used to be dozens, the scene has faded to some degree and with that came the drive to find new trails before it was (is) to late. There are still some ares in the hour radius that are open to cross-country travel (i.e. new route construction) but they are primarily the flat desert and finding a suitable route is a difficult proposition.

That makes sense. Apathy is unfortunately a big problem for this sport and has contributed to many top notch trails and trail systems being shut down across the nation. Whether it's not being involved enough in the land use fight (something I'm guilty of but working to change) or the total disregard to designated trails and proper use (ie dumping and littering/destroying the environment) it seems like we're fighting an impossible battle.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...That makes sense. Apathy is unfortunately a big problem for this sport and has contributed to many top notch trails and trail systems being shut down across the nation. Whether it's not being involved enough in the land use fight (something I'm guilty of but working to change) or the total disregard to designated trails and proper use (ie dumping and littering/destroying the environment) it seems like we're fighting an impossible battle.

An uphill battle for sure. While I can think of dozens of local (30 minutes or less to the Wasatch Front) routes that have closed over the last 20 year, few if any were really technical routes. The scene is so old here its almost a disservice. Trail closures and 'preservation' were on the radar in Utah long before more other locals and it often pre-dated the demand for tough trails. For example large portions of Utah were open to cross-country travel up until the last decade and some as recent as the last few years. Trails that were scouted before that time were generally good to go... trails scouted during that scoping process have been in a legal tango. By and far the majority of trails were closed due to development and private property issues, Pitsburg Lake, Corner Canyon, some routes in Big & Little Cottonwood Canyon (Forest Service and PP issues).

 

[NoTrax]

No need to be rude, childish and condescending.

Dude, fighting with Kurt is stupid. He's a verifiable encyclopedia, and WELL respected...you've just dug a hole. I'd back out of this and walk away..

Nowhere did I see Kurt act childish, Condescending maybe, well deserved? Definitely.

 

[ozzy702]

Dude, fighting with Kurt is stupid. He's a verifiable encyclopedia, and WELL respected...you've just dug a hole. I'd back out of this and walk away..

Nowhere did I see Kurt act childish, Condescending maybe, well deserved? Definitely.

Reading comprehension fails you my friend. I have no beef with Kurt. In fact I greatly appreciate the time he just took to give me a short history of this area. It's people like you, JL Rockies and black_ZJ that have brought nothing of substance to this thread and to which my comment that you quoted was directed.

 

[NoTrax]

Reading comprehension fails you my friend. I have no beef with Kurt. In fact I greatly appreciate the time he just took to give me a short history of this area. It's people like you, JL Rockies and black_ZJ that have brought nothing of substance to this thread and to which my comment that you quoted was directed.

Maybe you should re read your pissing fight with him. You only backed off when he cordially allowed you too, that's Kurt.

 

[ozzy702]

Maybe you should re read your pissing fight with him. You only backed off when he cordially allowed you too, that's Kurt.

Ah the back peddle. Thanks for continuing to add substance to this thread.You quoted wrong bud, it's ok, we all make mistakes. Kurt took the high road and decided to be constructive and add to the thread and I appreciate that. I look forward to more e-baddassness from you.

Now back to the topic at hand. Are there any trails systems that are currently being developed "near" Salt Lake that individuals can help with in terms of trail building and or the legal battle (town halls meetings, petitions etc)? I'll define "near" as within two and a half hours given the constraints that Kurt has outlined above.

The reason I bring up trails being developed is that if we're not moving forward we're losing ground. We see this all over the nation. Instead of just holding on to the trails we have we really need to be building more for several reasons. I don't say this because I know everything about Utah and your land use history but because this is a problem we all face in this beloved sport of ours.

P.S. Ladies, Kurt seems like a big boy that can take care of himself. No need to derail the thread.

 

[Venture13]

Sounds like we need to have the more seasoned Utahn Veterans take the new to Utah guys out on the trails more often. I am always looking for new spots. Hell, I even know of a place down in Salem if anyone is interested. It is the Dream mine access road up to the towers by Nebo. Been driving it with the ATV recently, got full permission by gate keeper. He even gives you the keys to open the gate when you ask him politely.

Then again, sometimes keeping good trails on the down low makes them open all the time, to much traffic, littering, erosion, and loud noise can really have an impact on access to any trail network.

I would really like to see more people wanting to set up trail rides in the Northern Utah region. With BLM permits and seasonal snow, and of course private land it can be challenging. Oh, and most rigs have to be street legal as well in Utah..

Side note, I have not seen much trail maintenance/ cleanups for local trails. Land owners always love seeing their access roads cleaned up..

 

[ozzy702]

Sounds like we need to have the more seasoned Utahn Veterans take the new to Utah guys out on the trails more often. I am always looking for new spots. Hell, I even know of a place down in Salem if anyone is interested. It is the Dream mine access road up to the towers by Nebo. Been driving it with the ATV recently, got full permission by gate keeper. He even gives you the keys to open the gate when you ask him politely.

Then again, sometimes keeping good trails on the down low makes them open all the time, to much traffic, littering, erosion, and loud noise can really have an impact on access to any trail network.

I would really like to see more people wanting to set up trail rides in the Northern Utah region. With BLM permits and seasonal snow, and of course private land it can be challenging. Oh, and most rigs have to be street legal as well in Utah..

Side note, I have not seen much trail maintenance/ cleanups for local trails. Land owners always love seeing their access roads cleaned up..

^ All great ideas. Up in Idaho we have regular clean ups on the trails where we'd remove literally TONS of garbage that people (not wheelers) had dumped. Because of it the BLM has a much more favorable view of our sport and has even given us permission to develop new trails.

I'm sure there is private land somewhere near us that would make great wheeling but is currently off limits, it's that way everywhere. As mentioned above sometimes it's just a matter of getting on the owners good side and being polite and respectful of their property.

 

[anzenketh]

Side note, I have not seen much trail maintenance/ cleanups for local trails. Land owners always love seeing their access roads cleaned up..

Love that idea. Perhaps we could rotate some trails weekly to go clean up we should have enough offroaders to assist in the effort.

 

[JL Rockies]

It's people like you, JL Rockies and black_ZJ that have brought nothing of substance to this thread and to which my comment that you quoted was directed.

I was just pointing out that you were wrong.... and that it was you who bring nothing of substance. I was also pointing out that I'm pretty gangster which in itself is well-respected.

 

[Venture13]

Anyone have any input on the new pipe line through bountiful to SLC? Think that will be open for UTV/ATV and maybe Jeeps? Sure looks like some steep hills to climb.

What's the easiest way to communicate with land owners and find out ownership boundaries? The local town clerk, yellow pages.. ha ha Just email them asking about land use and potential trail/road maintenance? Akward conversation asking someone for something and nothing in return. Hey, let me drive all over your land and show others, hmm. What about a volunteer program where you help out with the Forest Service with fire roads and Watershed access roads?

How do you get into the Utah circle of knowledge with out stepping over people's toes?


Definately a club run with cleanup advertised, little positive go green exposure does not hurt at all.