Hell’s Revenge trail, a popular four-wheel drive trail in Moab, UT, was the latest project executed through the Tread Lightly! Restoration for Recreation initiative which provides restoration, maintenance and new construction to help America’s public agencies better manage sustainable outdoor recreation.
Efforts during the trail work project on May 13 (just prior to the start of the Rally on the Rocks) provided improvements to the trail to assist in keeping recreationists on the designated route to ensure the trail remains open for years to come.
The trail repair was funded by one of Tread Lightly!’s newest partners, Discount Tire, and its long-time partner KYMCO. Representatives from the Bureau of Land Management Moab Field Office and Grand County Sand Flats Recreation Area Management Team provided the scope of work and guided the volunteer work crew.
KYMCO supplied six vehicles for use during the work day with other volunteers providing their personal vehicles to carry equipment to the project areas. More than 40 volunteers spent the day installing range fencing to keep trail users on the designated route, as the sandy nature of the trail and poor route marking has led to trail widening and vegetation disruption beyond the designated route.
“This was another great project to help protect access to the trails we love,” Mark MacGuinness, vice president of Discount Tire Direct, said. “We’re happy to have another opportunity to team up with Tread Lightly! and help keep these routes open for everyone.”
“KYMCO was excited to get out on this trail that people love so much and help keep it intact,” Rick Pawelka, director of marketing at KYMCO, said. “Our team has been a devoted partner to Tread Lightly! and we’re invested in making sure there are places to ride. This project was a great way to do that.”
The Hell’s Revenge trail has been called one of the premier 4WD trails in Moab. Located in the Sand Flats Recreation Area, it offers a variety of high-level obstacles and is not for the faint-of-heart. This trail is popular among avid, skilled off-roaders and offers spectacular views of the LaSal Mountains and overlooks the Moab Valley and Colorado River.
The Rally on the Rocks event brings out hundreds of side-by-side enthusiasts to the annual May event in Moab and provides an ideal opportunity to engage the OHV community in the stewardship of world-class trails. Rally on the Rocks organizer Lanse Chournos was instrumental in recruiting volunteers for the project and has made stewardship of Moab’s trails a focus of the event. The project also garnered support from Camp Chef, which gave away a $170 stove to one dedicated volunteer.
This effort is linked to Tread Lightly!’s statewide education campaign—RIDE ON Utah. The RIDE ON campaign was established to raise awareness of the importance of riding only on routes designated open to motorized vehicles and to engage enthusiasts in stewardship projects to keep trails open. Newly installed signage along Hell’s Revenge trail promotes the RIDE ON message.
For more information on Tread Lightly!, visit www.treadlightly.org.
