Trails committee endorses county letter asking BLM to designate Mountain Dew Trail

The Emery County Trails Committee voted March 3 to back a county letter asking the Bureau of Land Management to formally designate the Mountain Dew Trail and open it to all vehicles. The committee’s motion, made and carried by members present, directs county staff to send a single, coordinated letter from the commissioners’ office with the committee’s support.

The committee debated technical language after a BLM representative (Agency official, Speaker 7) told the group the route appears in the agency’s records as ‘other’ and has never been formally designated. “The BLM has never formally designated the veil,” the agency official said, adding that because the route is in an OHV-limited area, “if it's not designated, it's considered closed by us.” Committee members pressed for precise wording to avoid implying the route had been closed by the BLM and to ensure the letter requests designation rather than reopening.

Members emphasized the need for a GPS track to remove ambiguity about which corridor the county intends to designate. One member offered to provide a northern GPS track and another volunteered to hike and collect missing segments; the agency official said an accompanying GPS file will help BLM staff know which line to adopt.

The motion approved asked county commissioners to transmit a single letter from the commission office that includes the committee’s endorsement and clear route coordinates. Chair (Speaker 1) confirmed the committee’s action with a voice vote; members responded in favor and the motion was approved.

Next steps: staff will finalize the draft, incorporate GPS waypoints supplied by volunteers, and forward the coordinated letter from the commissioners’ office to the BLM. The committee also agreed to inspect the trail in person as part of final preparations.