In a week of distressing news, none was more depressing than The Salt Lake Tribune’s Saturday front page which revealed that ATVs will be allowed on the roads, including remote back roads, of Utah’s national parks.
Brian Maffly’s story reported the main problems: the eventuality of permanent damage to these fragile and irreplaceable landscapes, and the impossible challenge of keeping these off-road vehicles on roads.
While ATVs and UTVs may have their place on farms, ranches and some rough rural roads, they have degraded the outdoor experience for all of us. Places like the San Rafael will never recover.