Back to the BYU Cougars Newsfeed

Park managers balk at plan to let ORVs in Utah national parks

Opposition is building against the National Park Service’s push to allow off-road vehicles on Utah’s park roads, much of it coming from retired and current park managers who contend these vehicles pose too great a risk to scenic treasures and visitor enjoyment.

Across most of the nation’s 419-unit park system, ORVs, including all-terrain vehicles and utility task vehicles, are not allowed. But an 11-year-old Utah law has opened the door for “street legal” ORVs on roads inside the state’s “Mighty 5” parks, as well as Dinosaur National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and smaller park units in Utah.