05/10/2026
🚨 PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDED: SAN RAFAEL SWELL & SAN RAFAEL DESERT ACCESS 🚨
The BLM is accepting public comments through June 8, 2026, on proposed changes to motorized route designations in the San Rafael Swell and San Rafael Desert.
This matters.
BLM is reconsidering whether certain routes currently closed to OHV use should be changed to open or limited. In the San Rafael Swell, BLM is looking at approximately 226 miles of routes. In the San Rafael Desert, BLM is looking at approximately 20 miles of routes.
These are not just lines on a map.
These routes are how families reach campsites.
They are how older and disabled users experience public land.
They are access to overlooks, hunting areas, grazing infrastructure, state trust lands, historic routes, mining history, emergency access, search and rescue, and the working landscape of rural Utah.
Access and stewardship are not opposites. In the West, they have always gone together.
Red Rock 4-Wheelers is working in alignment with the people and organizations who have been carrying this fight from every angle:
✅ PLPCO — standing for access, economic prosperity, stewardship, R.S. 2477, state and county interests, and access for users of all ages and abilities.
✅ BlueRibbon Coalition — fighting closures through legal action, public pressure and national advocacy for motorized access.
✅ UPLA — helping users submit detailed, route-specific comments that BLM must take seriously.
✅ Red Rock 4-Wheelers — standing for responsible wheeled access, stewardship, heritage, working lands and the freedom to reach public lands.
Now we need the public to show up.
Please submit a comment supporting the reopening or limited designation of these routes where motorized access can be responsibly managed. Ask BLM to use signage, education, enforcement, route maintenance, width limits, seasonal tools and site-specific mitigation before closure.
Also tell BLM to protect:
✅ R.S. 2477 rights-of-way
✅ County roads and historic routes
✅ Ranching and grazing access
✅ Mining, mineral and energy access
✅ State trust land and private property access
✅ Family recreation and responsible wheeled access
✅ Emergency response and search-and-rescue access
✅ Access for all ages and abilities
Do not just say “keep routes open.” Make your comment count.
Tell BLM what routes you know. Tell them what those routes access. Campsites, overlooks, water sources, ranching improvements, mines, claims, hunting access, family access, emergency access — put it in the record.
Official BLM project information and comment portal:
https://www.blm.gov/announcement/blm-seeks-input-travel-routes-san-rafael-swell-and-desert-areas
PLPCO San Rafael Swell public comment information and tool:
https://publiclands.utah.gov/uncategorized/san-rafael-swell-travel-management-plan/
BlueRibbon Coalition action alert:
https://blueribboncoalition.org/blm-reopening-ohv-routes-in-san-rafael-swell-desert/
UPLA route-specific comment guidance:
https://utahpla.com/a-second-chance-for-reopening-closures-in-the-san-rafael-swell-and-desert/
The deadline is June 8, 2026.
This is one of those moments where silence becomes part of the record. Let’s make sure the record shows that Utah supports responsible access, stewardship, working lands, R.S. 2477 rights, and the freedom to reach our public lands.
Comment. Share. Get others involved.
