Hole In the Rock....best week of my life, hands down. (2 Viewers)

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justintpryor said:
Here is a good video of how tiny the trail is on the upper half of the shelf road. Sorry for the fingers, I was trying to walk backwards and not fall off the trail.
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that there is the shiznet.
 
after the Alcove camp...

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100_1178.JPG
 
Right on, it looks like you gents had a fantastic trip.

Putting my land-use hat on, for any future travelers planning to enjoy this route, please keep in mind that the popular R. Trail is closed per the GCNRA motorized travel plan. I know the signs are no longer there but folks can/have been ticketed for driving the route. Now, there is potentially some light at the end of the tunnel. San Juan County claims this road as an RS2477 route and is not backing off of that, still they don't go as far as to say they will pay your ticket if you get one nor do they want a sagebrush rebellion heading down the trail, yet :D

I've spent a bit of time over the years discussing this issue with the GCNRA, long story short they don't know why it was closed (it happened on paper in 1978/79 and they don't know if they can get anything changed re it's status until after all the contentious RS2477 and "Take Back Utah" situations be solved. Use your best judgement...
 
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So, not saying we were on that trail. there were not any signs to say it was off limits.. And there was plenty of evidence of other people using that trail. Unfortunately, regardless of land use decisions. the shelf road is nearly unpassable, and within a year or two, will be too dangerous to attempt.

And Kurt-we've tried to keep the name of the trail off the web, to discourage searches for it. You may want to edit your post, or not.
 
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Cruiserdrew said:
So, not saying we were on the Rin trail. there were not any signs to say it was off limits.. And there was plenty of evidence of other people using that trail. Unfortunately, regardless of land use decisions. the shelf road is nearly unpassable, and within a year or two, will be too dangerous to attempt.
Click to expand...

Yup, the signs have gone missing a time or two. We've got some major fed vs. state battles going on here locally and it's not unheard of for even the County Commissioners themselves to go pull out signs or stage protest rides, one was convicted last year for hosting a ride on a similar trail in which the county considers it open, the fed closed. There are so many sides to the situation but users should at least be aware that there is an issue. The County fixed the previous washouts along the HITR which took some pretty major repair work but I don't forsee them touching the Rin until if/when a solution to the legality can be established. As crazy as it sounds, they can barge equipment into the site easier than they can drive them, not too crazy to consider if you've driven the HITR. I spoke with a contact @ Aramark about the cost to rent the barge for a crazy idea I had, it's not as expensive as one would think.

They know the rich history there and there is very well documented use of the trail in the 50's and 60's long before the lake was flooded. Brian Sweatland of the GCNRA and I spoke a fair bit about the Rin a few years back and he agreed to head out there with me and see what it was all about, their senior staff just doesn't get out to the lake near there ever... sadly we never were able to get something put together to visit. They know folks are using it... but they've ticketed motorized users parked at the water level. Much of Utah used to be "open unless posted closed" whereas it is now "Motorized Travel on Designated Routes only", you know the drill, it's our job to figure out what is designated as government entities are not too versed at that :D. If you're a "rights of the counties" supporter, perhaps you're more willing than others to run it again :D

I hosted a letter-writing party in response to the GCNRA public comment input on motorized recreation on the lands within GCNRA. We had a lot of great comments many of which were about re-opening Rincon and other trails that were closed for no apparent reason. Everything is still up in the air as of late: Letter Writing Party for the Glen Canyon Off-road Vehicle Management Plan - 2/27/14
 
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cruiseroutfit said:
Yup, the signs have gone missing a time or two. We've got some major fed vs. state battles going on here locally and it's not unheard of for even the County Commissioners themselves to go pull out signs or stage protest rides, one was convicted last year for hosting a ride on a similar trail in which the county considers it open, the fed closed. There are so many sides to the situation but users should at least be aware that there is an issue. The County fixed the previous washouts along the HITR which took some pretty major repair work but I don't forsee them touching the Rincon until if/when a solution to the legality can be established. As crazy as it sounds, they can barge equipment into the site easier than they can drive them, not too crazy to consider if you've driven the HITR. I spoke with a contact @ Aramark about the cost to rent the barge for a crazy idea I had, it's not as expensive as one would think.

They know the rich history there and there is very well documented use of the trail in the 50's and 60's long before the lake was flooded. Brian Sweatland of the GCNRA and I spoke a fair bit about the R a few years back and he agreed to head out there with me and see what it was all about, their senior staff just doesn't get out to the lake near there ever... sadly we never were able to get something put together to visit. They know folks are using it... but they've ticketed motorized users parked at the water level. Much of Utah used to be "open unless posted closed" whereas it is now "Motorized Travel on Designated Routes only", you know the drill, it's our job to figure out what is designated as government entities are not too versed at that :D. If you're a "rights of the counties" supporter, perhaps you're more willing than others to run it again :D

I hosted a letter-writing party in response to the GCNRA public comment input on motorized recreation on the lands within GCNRA. We had a lot of great comments many of which were about re-opening R and other trails that were closed for no apparent reason. Everything is still up in the air as of late: Letter Writing Party for the Glen Canyon Off-road Vehicle Management Plan - 2/27/14
Click to expand...


It is a shame to see such a great trail under dispute. This was my first time wheeling in Utah and @Cruiserdrew really spoiled me, big time. As drew said, there were no signs and the trail is being used by others. We do understand the issue regarding the trail and that is why I left the name out of my posts. Thanks you for your efforts to reopen the trail and others that have been closed or are disputed.
 
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justintpryor said:
It is a shame to see such a great trail under dispute. This was my first time wheeling in Utah and @Cruiserdrew really spoiled me, big time. As drew said, there were no signs and the trail is being used by others. We do understand the issue regarding the trail and that is why I left the name out of my posts. Thanks you for your efforts to reopen the trail and others that have been closed or are disputed.
Click to expand...

So your a county/state rights kind of guy :D

I certainly don't fault anyone for enjoying what the county and State or Utah considered a valid right-of-way... Particularly since the Fed doesn't seem too interested in doing anything about this particular once. Perhaps they have been out to see it and know it's soon to be a moot point without some maintenance?

EDIT: Read my recent diatribe on the Rincon Trail being closed:
Expedition Utah
Long and short, if you're going to poach it... get active in saving it too!

These disputed routes are a big deal for Utah's rural lands and those commissioners fighting for their public land access are considered heroes by their communities and by many in the motorized community. We have such fantastic recreation opportunities because of these routes and it's hard to fathom why trail closures seem to be the eases management solution.

Again, great trip report and glad you enjoyed your trip to Utah!
 
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cruiseroutfit said:
Right on, it looks like you gents had a fantastic trip.

Putting my land-use hat on, for any future travelers planning to enjoy this route, please keep in mind that the popular R. Trail is closed per the GCNRA motorized travel plan. I know the signs are no longer there but folks can/have been ticketed for driving the route. Now, there is potentially some light at the end of the tunnel. San Juan County claims this road as an RS2477 route and is not backing off of that, still they don't go as far as to say they will pay your ticket if you get one nor do they want a sagebrush rebellion heading down the trail, yet :D

I've spent a bit of time over the years discussing this issue with the GCNRA, long story short they don't know why it was closed (it happened on paper in 1978/79 and they don't know if they can get anything changed re it's status until after all the contentious RS2477 and "Take Back Utah" situations be solved. Use your best judgement...
Click to expand...
This looks so incredible, planning to do this trail for the first time. @cruiseroutfit any update on the R. Trail 5 years later? Would it help if I wrote a letter, or is this just an exercise in futility? Sometimes I feel so powerless as a motorized vehicle user. It seems like over time most of the "interesting" (aka challenging) trails get closed and the environmentalist agenda always wins.
 
WCBlueSky said:
This looks so incredible, planning to do this trail for the first time. @cruiseroutfit any update on the R. Trail 5 years later? Would it help if I wrote a letter, or is this just an exercise in futility? Sometimes I feel so powerless as a motorized vehicle user. It seems like over time most of the "interesting" (aka challenging) trails get closed and the environmentalist agenda always wins.
Click to expand...

More closed than ever. Current Federal Administration has little/no apathy towards motorized access so I don't expect we'll see any resolution on the legality of the trail. The county and state still share a 50/50 claim on the road via RS2477, but until those are adjudicated in court, no go, respect the closure. Driving it simply hurts the chances of future access.
 
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