Council directs staff to open talks with developer, landowners on gated trail and water-tank access

Toquerville City Council on the topic of two gated access points at the north and south ends of Grand Canyon Parkway focused on balancing public recreation access to an informal trail network known locally as Nephi’s Twist with private-property rights and public-safety obligations.

The council heard staff and legal briefings describing a complex ownership and legal background: a recorded, amended development agreement from 2013 that references trail amenities; a chain and gate on private property that block informal access to BLM-administered land; and a city-owned roadway and water-tank easement that together create overlapping access questions. Ben Billingsley, the city manager, told the council the issue ‘‘is operating in the gray zone’’ and that the Bureau of Land Management could close unrecognized trails through its travel-management plan unless local access is secured.

Why it matters: Nephi’s Twist is a longstanding local trail used by hikers, cyclists and historically by equestrians; speakers said it is regionally distinctive and brings recreational visitors. Staff warned the council that if legal public access is not established now, the BLM’s formal travel-management process could later treat the informal routes as closed, effectively removing the recreational resource.

Discussion and legal background: Assistant City Manager Darren Lefebvre explained…