BLM proposes 800-mile High Desert Trail network near Moab

A proposed 800-mile High Desert Trail network near Moab could turn a loose web of existing routes into a more formal off-highway vehicle corridor, with staging areas, signage, wayfinding and special recreation permits built into the plan.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Moab Field Office said the draft environmental assessment would designate roughly 800 miles of existing routes, mostly on BLM-managed land, as part of a long-distance recreation route meant to improve visitor access and support nearby rural communities through recreation-driven travel. The proposal is still just that, a proposal, but it would do more than mark a trail on a map. It would shape how riders, drivers, outfitters and event organizers move through the landscape and how those trips are managed.

Public input is set to drive the next step. The comment window for the draft EA opens June 2 and runs through June 16, 2026, and two virtual public meetings are scheduled for June 8 and June 9. BLM says the meetings and project materials are intended to help the public understand the NEPA process and weigh in before any decision is finalized.

For Moab, the stakes are bigger than a single trail system. The Moab Field Office manages 1.8 million acres in canyon country and says the area supports millions of visitors and hundreds of recreation-related jobs. The broader Canyon Country District, which includes the Moab and Monticello field offices, manages about 3.6 million surface acres. BLM says Moab draws three million visitors a year, while Sand Flats Recreation Area alone sees more than 250,000 annual visitors.

The region is already tightly managed. The Moab Field Office administers nearly 500 special recreation permits each year, and BLM says those permits are meant to promote responsible recreation, mitigate resource impacts, create economic opportunities in neighboring communities and reduce user conflicts. Processing can take up to 180 days, and applications for competitive and large-scale events must be submitted at least one year in advance.

That formal structure is already part of how Moab builds trails. Grand County’s Trail Mix Committee says it works with BLM, the Forest Service, SITLA and other agencies through the EA process to propose and create trails around Moab, and county officials say Grand County Active Transportation and Trails has helped build and maintain more than 150 miles of non-motorized singletrack.

The new High Desert Trail proposal fits that same pattern, only on a far larger scale. For visitors who already stay on designated routes because off-road travel is illegal, the question now is whether this 800-mile network becomes the next big mapped system in Moab, or just another reminder that the backcountry here is increasingly organized, permitted and named before you ever arrive.