Fuelwood Permits Now Available
Manti-La Sal National Forest is issuing permits for fuelwood and other forest products forest-wide beginning June 1 and continuing through Nov. 30, 2021.
Fuelwood permits on the Ferron/Price and Sanpete districts are available at $5 per cord. Moab and Monticello fuelwood permits are available at $5 per cord for the standard permit or $10 per cord for Gambel oak. There is a four-cord minimum purchase, and a ten-cord maximum per household.
Due to current U.S. Department of Agriculture COVID-19 restrictions, Manti-La Sal National Forest offices remain closed to the public. To request a forest product permit for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, please call the District you are planning to collect from and leave a voicemail with a name and good call back phone number.
Employees will process requests and take payments for permits over the phone Mondays thru Wednesdays only, during regular business hours from 8 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4:30 pm. To maintain COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, all permits will be mailed. Upon requesting a permit, please allow the Forest 7-10 business days to mail the permit.
Plan Like a Park Ranger
With the summer vacation season upon us, here are some tips to ensure you have a positive experience when visiting the national parks and monuments of southeast Utah. When you visit Arches and Canyonlands in the busy season, you can expect long lines, busy parking, and delays. Rangers at Arches and Canyonlands tell you what to expect and ways to avoid the crowds.
To avoid long lines at the entrance gate and parking congestion, plan to arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Late afternoon and evening visits can be the most enjoyable. The lighting is better for photography and viewing the park features, temperatures are cooler, and the parking areas and trails are less crowded.
More than 1.5 million visitors come to Arches National Park each year, and that number is growing. Between March and October, you can expect limited parking at all destinations within Arches and Canyonlands. Parking at popular trailheads are usually full most of the day.
During high visitation, there may be significant delays entering the parks. You may experience long waits at the entrance station, usually between 9 am and 2 pm. Long lines may continue into the afternoon. At peak visitation, your wait can last up to an hour. We recommend entering the park before 9 am or after 2 pm to avoid the longest lines. If you enter the park between 9 am and 2 pm, you should prepare for a wait in the car. Use the restrooms before waiting in line; there are no restrooms along the entrance road.
If the entrance road at Arches is backed up, you may not stop on the highway or near the entrance sign to wait. If the park becomes full, staff may delay vehicles from entering the park until space opens to accommodate more people and vehicles. During these temporary delays, vehicles may not park near the entrance sign or anywhere along the road to wait. Come back at another time, or consider visiting other nearby attractions.
Once inside the park, you can expect increased travel times and congestion along the scenic drive. Parking lots may be full for much of the day. Park rangers may be working in parking lots to help you find your way. Please follow their instructions.
- Pack your Patience. Anticipate crowds and traffic. Arrive before 8 am or in mid-afternoon or later when lines are shortest.
- Plan out the activities you want to do ahead of time.
- Have a backup plan in case Arches is already full (temporarily restricting access) when you arrive. There are many nearby attractions in the Moab area.
- Stay up to date on park closures and restricted access times by checking our Arches Alerts or Canyonlands Alerts
- Be ready for the desert. Pack plenty of water and salty snacks. Stay safe by avoiding strenuous activity during midday and afternoon heat.
- Know the rules at Arches and Canyonlands. From lighting up rocks to canyoneering, know what is and isn’t allowed at the parks before you visit.
- Leave no trace of your visit, including not marking on rocks.
- Leave your pets at home. The desert is a hard place for pets. Dogs and other pets are not allowed on Arches’ trails, even when carried.
- Camping in Arches and Camping in Canyonlands is only allowed in a designated campsite, and the campgrounds fill months in advance. Reserve a place to stay before you travel to Moab.
- Download and print Arches’ and Canyonlands‘ publications ahead of time.
BLM’s Canyon Rim’s Travel Management Plan
The BLM’s Canyon Rims Travel Management Plan Designates Routes for Public Motorized Use While Protecting Resources
MOAB, Utah – The Bureau of Land Management has finalized the Canyon Rims Travel Management Area Environmental Assessment, which will provide for motorized recreation opportunities in the Canyon Rims area while protecting important resources.
The Canyon Rims Travel Management area covers approximately 90,954 acres of BLM managed lands in northern San Juan County, Utah encompassing two distinct areas: the western portion of the Canyon Rims Special Recreation Management Area and the Shafer Basin area south of Dead Horse Point State Park.
“The Canyon Rims Travel Management Plan will provide certainty to motorized recreators within this world-class scenic area in southeast Utah’s redrock country,” said Moab Field Manager Nicollee Gaddis-Wyatt. “This decision will not create new routes, but will improve experiences for visitors while protecting natural and cultural resources. We appreciate the public’s input and involvement throughout this process.”
As a result of public comment, an additional five miles of route were removed from the chosen alternative in the decision record, resulting in 226.6 miles of route open to off-highway vehicle use. The decision record for the travel management plan does not include any designations for non-off-highway vehicle use of the routes, does not authorize any new surface disturbing activities, or address new route proposals. Routes closed that were closed by the chosen alternative in the decision record were closed to off-highway vehicle use if the route no longer exists, is being reclaimed by natural processes, lacks connectivity or purpose, is redundant with another route, or if off-highway vehicle use may negatively impact sensitive cultural, riparian, and biologic resources.
The decision record, finding of no significant impact, final environmental assessment, implementation guide, and final route reports are available to the public on the BLM’s NEPA Register/ePlanning website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/113775/510. Cooperating agencies for this planning effort include San Juan County, Utah, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office.
This is an excerpt from the Canyonlands Natural History Association’s Member Newsletter. To find out more about CNHA and how to get your own copy delivered, visit the Canyonlands Natural History Association website.