Volunteers maintain and build Utah ATV trails
Volunteers from the Norther Utah ATV Trail Riders set a sign to mark a trail in the Buckmaster Trail System, an OHV trail in central Utah.
I have spent more than one day exploring the rich mining history of the Buckmaster Trail. There is much to see, but because of the lack of marked trails, what I found was quite by accident. That is changing thanks to a service project sponsored by the Price office of the Bureau of Land Management.
Seventy volunteers met last Saturday on the exit at Highway 24 west of Green River where the Buckmaster Trail begins. Riders from the Castle Country ATV Club, Northern Utah ATV Trail Riders, Mecca, Expedition Utah, Public Lands Equal Access Alliance and the TV program “At Your Leisure” gathered at the trailhead. BLM volunteer coordinators Jaydon Mead and Josh Winkler organized the volunteers into groups headed by BLM staff members with signs to mark trails open to motorized travel.
Our group marked a trail that led to a well-preserved dinosaur skeleton. We also marked trails that led to old uranium mines active in the ’50s and ’60s, now quiet and abandoned. These tracks are both interesting and challenging as we climbed slick rock and wound through old mining projects. The trails are now marked trails in the Buckmaster trail system that will soon have coordinating numbers and maps.
Some of the groups not only signed the trails but had the equipment to do trail maintenance as well. Armed with shovels and draglines, they cleared trails of fallen rock and smoothed out rough spots, making the rides safer. At the end of the day, 150 signs had been posted marking trails available to ride.
The project was made more interesting by BLM field office staff stopping at points of interest, like the dinosaur bones we saw. Other groups saw mining operations where living quarters still contain furniture and cooking utensils. The barren landscapes that make up the Buckmaster Trail give me respect for those who eked out a living here. The area offers plenty of reasons to come back and explore these fascinating trails.
Other service opportunities are planned for the spring in the San Rafael Swell. Winkler said he had several calls responding to the March 12 call in the Standard-Examiner for volunteers to monitor the trails in the Swell on Easter weekend. Help is also needed April 18 at the Behind the Reef and Waterfall Trails to update trailheads and kiosks and to make trail improvements.
May 16 is the open house for the Castle Country Trail System. This is a new trail that marks historic points of interest in the areas of Price and Helper. Memorial Day weekend volunteers will be needed to monitor trails, which includes helping riders in need and passing out maps and garbage bags. June 6 the BLM needs help to sign routes in the Chimney Rock area and to install an ATV cattle guard. If you are interested in participating in any of these volunteer opportunities, call Mead or Winkler at 435-636-3600 and sign up.
These are great opportunities to give back to our chosen sport and help keep trails open to those who come after us. You will not find scenery more beautiful and unique than you will in the Swell.
When you go take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and do your part by volunteering.
