The Bureau of Land Management is once again seeking input on a proposal to develop visitor services at one of Bears Ears’ most popular trailheads.
Up to 8,000 people utilize the House on Fire trailhead yearly, and new figures released by the BLM indicate more than 5,000 visitors used the trailhead in 2020. Yet the House on Fire trailhead has no designated parking area, no restroom facilities, and limited educational and informational signage. Dozens of cars can pile alongside the road creating safety hazards and visitors needing to use the restroom are contributing to a growing human waste problem in Bears Ears.
It’s why Friends of Cedar Mesa supports adding needed visitor infrastructure at House on Fire.
“We certainly want to maintain the more remote experience afforded in Bears Ears, but we must recognize that increasing visitation in this area requires corresponding impact mitigation efforts,” said Joe Neuhof, Friends of Cedar Mesa Executive Director. “We need select projects like this to provide a solid visitor experience and an opportunity to increase visitor education and Visit with Respect information that will, in turn, reduce impacts not only at House on Fire but other areas within the monument people may go on to visit.”
BLM Proposal for House on Fire Trailhead
The plan calls for a parking area with picnic facilities and restrooms as well as new educational signage. A proposed central fee station and information kiosk will help facilitate payment of hiking fees, which are critical to support funding for BLM projects, maintenance, and law enforcement.
Additionally, the plan calls for a spur trail from the developed roadside Mule Canyon site to the House on Fire trailhead to help reduce growing social trails resulting from visitors trying to access House on Fire.
Removed from the original proposal is a loop trail that would return visitors along the canyon rim, providing not only an enhanced hiking experience but, more importantly, an opportunity to reduce further impacts in South Mule Canyon by appropriately guiding visitors back to the trailhead following their House on Fire visit.
Friends of Cedar Mesa believes this loop trail is a critical component of the project and encourages the Bureau of Land Management to thoughtfully consider ways in which the agency can further mitigate, not exacerbate, impacts to the broader South Mule Canyon region.
“While we certainly encourage the BLM to carry out a more thorough review of any impacts a potential loop trail might have before scrapping the plan, Friends of Cedar Mesa remains supportive,” Neuhof said.
View the full plan and considerations here.
The deadline for public comment is Oct. 11, 2021. To submit an online comment on the proposal click here. Or, mail your comment to:
Monticello Field Office, BLM
Attn: House on Fire Trailhead
PO Box 7
Monticello, UT 84535