3. 3 Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 1 Introduction Definitions

This chapter considers the County’s role in planning for outdoor recreation and tourism, with the objective of enhancing the quality of life and economic wellbeing of County residents. Used in this context the term outdoor recreation refers to recreational opportunities and activities that rely on the natural environment, as opposed to the organized team sports and individual athletic pursuits typical of built-up environments. The term tourism refers to situations where people from outside the immediate area come to observe and experience new sites, landscapes and cultures. While site seeing is a primary tourist activity, tourists may also participate in related outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, bicycling, ATV riding, camping and nature and/or cultural study.

This chapter considers recreational and tourism opportunities for both local residents and visitors who come from elsewhere in Utah, surrounding western states, other states in the United States, and countries around the world. A fundamental objective of Garfield County’s outdoor recreation and tourism planning is to provide outdoor recreation opportunities for a wide range of people and interests. Included in the range of residents and visitors that the County proposes to accommodate in its outdoor recreation planning are:

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  Individuals and small groups
  
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  Families w/small children
  
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  Families w/older children
  
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  Extended families
  
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  Senior citizens
  
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  Individuals with disabilities
  
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  Religious and cultural organizations
  
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  Scientific and educational organizations
  
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  Commercial tour groups
  
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  Special recreation interest groups
  

This chapter considers outdoor recreation activities for which Garfield County’s location and resource character are particularly well suited, and that could be enjoyed by one or more of the types of visitors identified immediately above. Some of these activities are well established. Others are not as well established. Expanding participation in activities having increased potential is the best way to expand the range of residents and visitors who will make use of the County’s exceptional recreational opportunities. Existing and potential activities include:

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  Backpacking. Overnight excursions of various lengths and distances.
  
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  Backroads Pleasure Driving. Use of high clearance two wheel drive vehicles or more technical four wheel drive vehicles.
  
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  Bicycling. Includes long distance road biking, scenic biking on paved roads and mountain biking.
  
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  Canyoneering. Includes technical climbing and slot canyon excursions.
  
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  Hiking. Includes casual walks and more ambitious longer outings.
  
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  Horseback Riding. Horseback riding evokes Garfield County’s ranching origins and has long been a favorite activity for County residents. Horseback riding has been associated with Bryce Canyon NP for as long as the Park has existed, and many communities have their own traditions.
  
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  Hunting. Includes pursuit of big game and game birds with a variety of hunting equipment. For the purpose of the County Resource Management Plan it also includes firearms and archery target practice, which requires special use areas that meet safety and noise standards.
  
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  Lake Recreation. Includes fishing and, where possible, boating. Principal lakes include Bullfrog Bay/Lake Powell, Panguitch Lake, Pine Lake, Posey Lake, Tropic Reservoir, Barker Reservoir, Wide Hollow Reservoir and the ponds on Boulder Mountain ponds.
  
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  Nature and Cultural Study. Includes observation of wildlife, geological features, paleontological objects, stars and planets, historic features and other natural and cultural features. Nature and cultural study involves both in the field exploration and visiting exhibits in visitor centers and/or museums.
  
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  Off Highway Vehicles. Use of ATVs, UTVs and off-road motorcycles for recreational purposes on roadways, trails and play areas.
  
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  Organized and Competitive Events. Includes bicycle races, foot races, art festivals, historic reenactments and many other organized activities.
  
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  Painting and Photography. Involves capturing visual images of natural and cultural subjects.
  
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  Paved Road Pleasure Driving. Driving on paved roads in automobiles or motorcycles to view scenery or link between national parks.
  
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  River and Stream Recreation. Includes fishing and, where possible, boating. Primary rivers and streams include the Colorado River, Dirty Devil River, Escalante River, Mammoth Creek, East Fork and Main Sevier River, North Creek and perennial streams draining Boulder Mountain and the Escalante Canyons. While access to the flowing portions of the Colorado River are severely limited from Garfield County, it is important to reference that Cataract Canyon, which flows past the Maze in Canyonlands, along the Garfield County border, is one of the finest white water rafting and kayaking trips in North America.
  
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  Site Seeing. Site seeing visits to locations with exceptional scenic features and vistas.
  
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  Vehicle Camping. Includes personal vehicle and RV camping in private and public campgrounds and along roads in remote locations.
  
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  Winter Sports. Includes snowshoeing, cross country skiing and snowmobiling.
  

Garfield County’s topography consists of mountains, forests, plateaus, steppes, exposed rock forms and valleys in the heart of southern Utah’s Colorado Plateau country. Specific assets related to outdoor recreation and tourism include:

Federal lands include:

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  Bryce Canyon National Park
  
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  A portion of Canyonlands National Park
  
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  A portion of Capital Reef National Park
  
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  A portion of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
  
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  One half of the Dixie National Forest
  
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  Almost one half of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
  
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  Public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management
  

Utah State Parks in Garfield County include:

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  Anasazi State Park
  
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  Escalante Petrified Forest State Park
  
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  Kodachrome Basin State Park (mostly in Kane County, access from Garfield County)
  
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  Hole-in-the-Rock State Park (designated in 2017)
  

Garfield County has several national and state designated scenic roads, including:

Scenic Byways

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  SR 12 (Utah’s All American Road)
  
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  SR 95 (Trail of the Ancients)
  
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  SR 143 (Utah’s Patchwork Highway)
  

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  Bull Creek Pass Road
  
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  Burr Trail
  
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  East Fork Sevier River Road (Forest Road 87)
  
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  Griffin Top Road (Forest Road 140)
  
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  Hell’s Backbone Road (Forest Road 153)
  
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  Hole-in-the-Rock Road
  
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  Notom Road
  
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  Pine-Creek-Posey Lake Road (Forest Road 153)
  
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  Posey Lake-Bicknell Road (Forest Road 154)
  
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  Smoky Mountain Road
  

Garfield County has several national and state historic trails and historic districts, including:

National Historic Districts and Sites

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  Bryce Canyon National Historic District
  
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  Escalante National Historic District
  
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  Panguitch National Historic District
  
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  Dance Hall Rock National Historic Site
  
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  Several additional historic sites
  

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  Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Trail (includes both SR 89 and SR 12)
  
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  Old Spanish National Historic Trail
  
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  Hole-in-the-Rock State Historic Trail (Parowan to Bluff)
  

3,000 miles of potential OHV roads and trials

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  Anasazi State Park Museum
  
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  Bryce Canyon NP Visitor Center
  
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  Cannonville Visitor Center
  
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  Escalante Interagency Visitor Center
  
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  Red Canyon Visitor Center
  

Each year several special events take place that attract both tourists and local residents. These include but are not limited to:

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  Memorial Day, Independence Day and Pioneer Day celebrations
  
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  Hot air balloon event
  
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  Road and trail races
  
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  Professional bicycle race
  
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  Art festival
  
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  Music festivals
  
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  Rodeos
  
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  Car show
  

While recreation opportunities abound throughout Garfield County, certain areas are specifically recognized for their unique or exemplary recreational and tourism opportunities. The following list is not exhaustive. The list is noteworthy due to both the range of opportunities offered and the range of people who might be attracted.

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  Aquarius Plateau, Posey Lake and Powell Point
  
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  Barker (North Creek) Lakes
  
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  Beaver Mountain
  
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  Box Death Hollow Wilderness
  
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  Bryce Canyon
  
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  Long Canyon, Circle Cliffs
  
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  The Maze and Cataract Canyon
  
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  Capitol Reef
  
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  Escalante Canyons and Escalante River
  
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  Lake Powell
  
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  Henry Mountains
  
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  Hole-in-the-Rock area
  
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  Markagunt Plateau, Mammoth, Panguitch Lake
  
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  Paunsaugunt Plateau, Tropic Reservoir
  
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  Pine Lake
  
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  Red Canyon
  
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  Sevier Plateau (the Duttons)
  

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  Municipal
  
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  Rural
  
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  Roaded Natural
  
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  Semi-primitive Motorized
  
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  Semi-primitive
  
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  Primitive
  

Increasingly, restrictions are being placed on the use of federally administered lands that restricts economic uses of the land, including for outdoor recreation and tourism. Over the past twenty to thirty years the management of federal lands has drastically changed. Political pressure from national and regional special interest groups has resulted in more and more restrictions on the use of the land. Access to land has been significantly curtailed and uses of the land, including recreation, have been greatly limited. Much of the federal land in Garfield County has been placed in “wilderness limbo,” meaning that the lands have been administratively designated as wilderness study areas, inventoried roadless areas, lands with wilderness character, undeveloped/unroaded lands and similar restrictive classifications. Wilderness limbo is arguably the greatest inhibitor to the creation of what could be a world-class outdoor recreation program in Garfield County.

Restrictions on recreation is even evident on the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which, while designated by the Congress as a recreation area, is managed using the same standards and restrictions as national parks.

In terms of restrictions on recreation the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) stands out as the County’s most significant recreation and tourism problem. When designated, supporters touted the beginning of a new era where tourism would replace extractive industries as the basis of the local economy. This vision differs drastically from the on-the-ground reality, where the GSENM management plan goes to great length to emphasize that the monument’s reason for being is scientific research and landscape protection, not recreation. Since designation approximately one half of the roads have been closed to public use and those that remained open receive no Federal maintenance, the Hole-in-the-Rock Road being a primary example. Use of ORVs have been severely restricted, especially in areas near the NRA. Directional signing has been significantly restricted, information from the visitor center is inadequate and maps purposely leave out important public safety information. This creates is a major safety issue, as visitors lose track of where they are and often get lost. There have been several instances where the County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, with support from costly helicopters, have been called out to locate lost or stranded visitors.

The monument plan calls for most recreational use to occur in a very few areas along main roads and near communities while the vast majority of the Monument is zoned to restrict visitor access. The GSENM also has restrictions on the number of people who can be together in the monument, to the extent that some large families cannot have a family outing on the monument without dividing into two separate groups. Church groups wishing to sponsor youth outings are told that their events would violate monument policy and they are refused the special use permits that would allow these beneficial activities to proceed. If recreation is to truly become a contributor to the local economy the Monument must start supporting – not restricting – recreational use.

Historically the Dixie National Forest has been supportive of outdoor recreation. But in 2009 the Dixie National Forest adopted a travel management place that closes one half of the roads in the forest. These closures, the County contends, were made not to manage user impacts but rather to support the efforts of special interest groups to make large swaths of the forest eligible for wilderness designation, which, if successful, will severely and permanently limit recreational use of the forest. All this on a forest that is acknowledged to be under-utilized by visitors.

The restrictions on use of federal lands in the County are accelerating, and this bodes ill for both outdoor recreation and the County’s economic future.

Pass Through Tourism. Currently, the majority of visitors to Garfield County are tourists who come to visit national parks and move quickly between Bryce and Capitol Reef before moving on to either Zion or Arches. They may stop at one of the Garfield County communities between Bryce and Capitol Reef, but their stops are typically brief. This is a particular issue with commercial tour buses, which have a set schedule and itinerary. Some enterprising local tourism businesses are trying to change this. More attractions on or near main roads would help their cause.

The Narrow Range of Visitors who Visit non-National Park Areas. Those visitors who do stop in communities and make use of lands not in national parks are mostly adventure recreation enthusiasts seeking adventure in the GSENM’s canyons. These users spend very little time in our communities. This focus on adventure recreation enthusiasts is a direct result on the restrictions placed on use by others, including families, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

Underutilized Areas. The Dixie National Forest is a largely untapped outdoor recreation resource, particularly for tourists. Even Hell’s Backbone, arguably one of the great visual resources of the west, is underutilized. Seldom are national forest campgrounds full, a phenomenon unheard of in many national forests. This is partially explained by the fact that many people come to Garfield County for the national parks and the desert. It is unfortunate that tourists do not realize that the Forest offers a variety of scenic and recreation opportunities, particularly in the summer, when temperatures rise at lower elevations. Winter is another untapped opportunity, when snow sports possibilities are plentiful.

Eastern Garfield County is another underutilized recreation opportunity. With its location near Lake Powell, Ticaboo would appear to be a major recreation development opportunity.

To support the economic future of Garfield County families there is a significant need for federal agencies to convert their management to a regime that supports recreational use of public lands. There is a concomitant need for these agencies to form partnerships with State and local governments, and with each other, that have as their aim (1) the enhancement of high quality, sustainable outdoor recreation, and (2) sustainable multiple use of public lands that includes recreation opportunities.

There is also a need to give visitors a reason to stop in our communities, stay longer when they do stop, and visit non-National Park lands. A closely related need is to broaden the range of visitors who do visit non-National Park lands to include visitors in addition to those who come for adventure recreation. This means attracting more families and more senior citizens.

There is also a need to expand the tourism season. This includes (1) expanding the spring and fall shoulder seasons, (2) offering recreation opportunities in the winter months, and (3) bolstering tourism during late summer hot spells.

All of the above needs can, at least in part, be addressed through expansion of recreation assets beyond the current reliance on national park site seeing and national monument backpacking and hiking.

Winter in the national forest presents a dual problem of people not being aware of the opportunity and access not being available. The potential for winter use makes this an ideal location for a focused recreation opportunity experiment. Recreation development at Ticaboo is largely a matter on infrastructure development, and thus a situation where the County could play a significant planning role.

The County desires a condition throughout the County where:

1. People of all ages and abilities are welcomed and can benefit from their visit.

2. The recreational use season begins earlier in the spring and extends later in the fall, includes strategies to attract visitors during late summer hot spells, and provides opportunities for winter recreation.

3. Recreation use expands to include a full range of users including families, older visitors and diverse user groups.

4. Opportunities and attractions are provided that compel visitors whose primary objective is to “check off” national parks to stay longer and visit other natural areas, attractions and local communities.

5. Recreation is recognized as a use that is compatible with other uses of public lands including livestock grazing, vegetation management and restoration, wildlife management and other beneficial uses of the land.

6. Tourism matures to the point where residents earn a living wage that supports a family year round and where the industry becomes a meaningful contributor to the sustainability and wellbeing of local communities.

The ^following goals and policies apply to all aspects of the County’s outdoor recreation and tourism plan.

Goal: Provide outdoor recreation opportunities that are meaningful to, and accessible by, a wide range of residents and visitors having differing interests and physical abilities.

Goal: Provide economic benefits related to outdoor recreation and tourism to Garfield County residents related to outdoor recreation and tourism.

Goal: Align federal agency land management practices with the County Resource Management Plan’s recreation strategies, including welcoming people to recreate on federal lands. This is especially a problem on the GSENM.

Policy: It is the policy of Garfield County to provide open access to recreational use of public lands, with only those restrictions necessary to provide for the safety of the public and to avoid conflicts with other uses of the land.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to provide meaningful recreational and tourism opportunities to all residents and visitors, including senior citizens and people with disabilities or economic disadvantages. To this end, the County encourages federal land management agencies to adhere to universal design principles when developing and maintaining facilities.

Policy: It is the policy of Garfield County to promote access to recreational opportunities by assuming administration of 2477 roads county-wide.

Policy: It is the policy of Garfield County to improve select collector roads that provide access to important outdoor recreation and tourism destinations, offer opportunities for please driving, including loop roads, and provide economic and other benefits to county residents. Improvements may vary by road but principally involve paving or other forms of stabilization. The roadways that are priorities for improvement include:

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  Burr Trail (eastern portion)
  
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  East Fork Sevier Road
  
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  Hole-in-the-Rock Road
  
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  Mammoth Creek Road
  
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  Notom Road
  
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  Pine Creek Road to Posey Lake
  
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  Pine Lake Road
  

Action: Within six months, reach agreement with the GSENM regarding a new directional sign plan and within one year have the plan fully implemented.

Action: Within six months establish agreements with each land management agency regarding cooperative actions that the County and federal agency can take to achieve recreation and tourism strategies.

Action: Through consultation, negotiation and/or direct political action seek changes to the GSENM management plan that would establish recreation and tourism as a fundamental mission of the GSENM.

While the goals and policies stated above are meant to support recreation and tourism opportunities county-wide, the goals and policies that follow focus on specific activities and specific sites.

Goal: Maintain the status quo concerning backpacking volume and practices in the County.

Policy: None needed.

Backroads Pleasure Driving

Goal: Provide a full range of off-highway driving opportunities for full-sized vehicles on roads within the Dixie National Forest, the NRA, the GSENM and other public lands managed by the BLM.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to work with the Dixie National Forest and the GSENM to suspend travel management decisions that closed one half of the roads on the Forest and the Monument.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to initiate and complete upgrades to the Hole-in-the-Rock Road to provide adequate access to the river crossing site, and to work with the GSENM and the NRA to provide essential tourist facilities.

Goal: Establish bicycling as a major recreational activity in Garfield County, including highway, back roads and trail opportunities.

Policy: It is the policy of Garfield County to encourage private development of a mountain bike hut to hut program on the Dixie national Forest.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to encourage and help facilitate continues use of State and County roads in Garfield County for the Tour of Utah and possibly other bicycle races.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to encourage the GSENM to provide meaningful mountain bike riding opportunities within the Monument, both on unpaved roads and on trails to be established.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to encourage and help facilitate the extension of the SR 12 bicycle path past Bryce to, first, Cannonville, second, Escalante, third, Boulder, and finally, with Wayne County, the far side of Boulder Mountain.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to actively support UDOT’s implementation of the National Bicycling System route through Garfield County along SRs 12 and 143.

Actions: Establish a county-wide bicycling opportunity map or brochure aimed at the bicycling public.

Action: Review County ordinances and traffic regulations applicable to bicycling to identify needs for revision and enhancement, with the dual objects of providing appropriate bicycling opportunities and enhancing safety.

Camping

Note that car camping opportunities in the County, including private campgrounds and RV facilities, public campgrounds and primitive sites along public backcountry roadways.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to discourage public campgrounds when these compete with existing private campgrounds.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to work with the GSENM and the NRA to ensure adequate primitive car camping opportunities within the Monument and NRA.

Goal: Maintain the current canyoneering opportunities.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to work with canyoneering guides to identify access limitations to favored canyoneering locations and to provide appropriate access to these areas.

Hiking

Goal: Retain the status quo concerning hiking volume and practices.

Policy: No policy needed.

Horseback Riding

Goal: Re-establish horseback riding as a meaningful recreation and tourism endeavor on public lands within the County.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to allow horseback riding opportunities on all public lands.

Hunting

Goal: Retain hunting as a meaningful and accessible activity throughout the County, and provide suitable areas for target practice.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to provide accessible, high quality hunting opportunities on all public lands except national parks where park regulations specifically prohibit this use.

Policy. It is the policy of Garfield County to review the adequacy of local shooting ranges and to identify options for filling unmet needs in safe and appropriate ranges outside of municipalities.

Goal: Increase the visibility of lake recreation, and lake campgrounds, as a significant component of Garfield County’s outdoor recreation program, including Panguitch Lake, Lake Powell, Dixie National Forest lake campgrounds, and Boulder Mountain ponds.

Goal: Provide additional lake recreation opportunities in the County.

Policy: It is the Policy of Garfield County to publicize lake-related recreation as a significant outdoor recreation opportunity in Garfield County, to work with the Forest Service to enhance recreation management at Posey, Pine Lake, the Barkers and Tropic Reservoir.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to evaluate opportunities for development of multiple use reservoirs including one in the Wide Hollow area west of Escalante, to meet multiple use needs, including providing water recreation opportunities such as fishing, boating and shoreline camping and picnicking.

National Park Visitation

Goal: Visitors to Garfield County national parks will continue to be accommodated and have a high quality experience. The use season will be expanded.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to work with the Congress and the National Park Service to ensure that visitors to national parks are accommodated, and that steps be taken to continue to accommodate guests during temporary budgetary shutdowns.

Nature and History Study

Goal: Provide diverse, high quality opportunities for study of nature and history by both organized groups and individuals.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to encourage federal managers, and especially the Monument, to provide opportunities for organized and informal nature and history study by a wide variety of users, including individuals who may have difficultly accessing areas for nature and history study.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to encourage communities to maintain and utilize historic sites within the community, specifically including the Panguitch and Escalante historic districts and individual structures and sites on the federal or state registers.

It is the policy of the County to promote the management and interpretation of federal and state historic trails by federal and state managers and to cooperate with these efforts as appropriate.

Off Highway Vehicles

Goal: Provide a range of opportunities to experience ATV, UTV and off-road motorcycling on Garfield County public lands. Establish Garfield County as a significant recreational OHV destination.

Policy: It is the policy of Garfield County to revise Monument policy to provide legal off road vehicles full access to unpaved roadways within the Monument, including the Hole-in-the-Rock Road and roads accessed by the HITR Road.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to provide off-highway vehicle play areas on public or private lands in several locations in the county, equivalent to 1-2% of the County.

Goal: Provide opportunities to a full range of organized events on County public lands, including non-profit competitive events such as marathons, bicycle races, etc.

Policy: Induce the GSENM to change the Monument management plan to allow these events, including non-profit competitive events.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to support appropriate, safe events along SR 12, including the Tour of Utah, marathons and other related events as long as these activities secure the appropriate UDOT permit.

Goal: Establish pleasure driving as a significant recreational pursuit for a wide range of users.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to promote pleasure driving as a significant recreational pursuit for a wide range of users.

Action: Prepare a county-wide brochure or map that identifies scenic drives on paved roads and identifies scenic, historical and other features of interest along these routes.

Action: Work with UDOT, The Utah Highway Patrol, and the County Sheriff and public works department to ensure safe and high quality implementation of a pleasure driving program.

Stream Recreation

Goal: Establish stream recreation as a small but significant component of the County’s overall recreation and tourism program.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to manage rivers and streams to provide recreation opportunities consistent with agriculture and other uses.

Action: Work with the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources to enhance fishing opportunities on high quality fishing streams.

Goal: Establish Ticaboo as a gateway to Lake Powell and as a recreation destination.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to participate in planning activities aimed at developing infrastructure necessary to establish Ticaboo as a significant outdoor recreation and tourism attraction.

Winter Sports

Goal: Provide opportunities for outdoor recreation in the winter season.

Policy: It is the policy of the County to seek opportunities and partnerships with federal agencies and other partners to expand winter recreation opportunities.

Action: Identify roads where winter access would offer opportunities for winter sports including snowmobiling and cross country skiing.