High Desert Trail update: state office to oversee NEPA, GPX/KML maps live; million‑dollar appropriation held until NEPA complete

County staff briefed the Beaver County Commission on April 15 about progress on the High Desert Trail, including an update that a state outdoor recreation office will oversee the NEPA process, trail mapping and digital route files are available to the public, and a roughly $1 million legislative appropriation for signage and related work remains unspent until environmental review is complete.

The update matters because the High Desert Trail is a multi‑county recreation route that has implications for tourism, local roads, and federal permitting where BLM lands and archaeological clearance are required.

A county staff member reported that the state office overseeing outdoor recreation will manage the NEPA process for the trail and that the state or a contracted engineering firm will perform environmental reviews. Staff said they anticipate a NEPA grant award within a few months and that parts of the route still need archaeological clearance — the presenter estimated roughly 50 miles of trail segments still require clearance, which may be in neighboring counties. The attendee said an archaeologist finally submitted a long‑delayed report to the BLM after several years, and that the BLM has begun to accept certain deliverables.

County staff showed commissioners that the trail is mapped online: GPX files for GPS units, KML files for Google Earth and shapefiles for GIS users are posted on the state Outdoor Recreation website and can be linked from county tourism pages. Staff said they will get those links posted to the county website.

Discussion touched on trail design and usage: commissioners and staff discussed that some sections are narrow ATV routes not suitable for full‑size jeeps or heavy adventure motorcycles and that the NEPA/EA process should evaluate bypass routes for wider vehicles. Staff also noted that the state appropriated about $1 million for signage and other trail items several years earlier, but funds cannot be released until required NEPA and other environmental clearances are complete.

Why this matters: trail designation and NEPA outcomes will determine when state funding can be used, how routes are managed for different vehicle types and how the county markets the trail to tourism audiences. Staff recommended coordination with the state office overseeing NEPA and continued posting of public mapping resources.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article include a county staff member (presenter) and Wade Long (head commissioner).