By Charles Pekow
Pay what you will but you will be expected to pay something if you want to mountain bike in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sites in Utah. BLM announced it will begin collecting fees for day use at the Three Peaks Trail System and McCoy Flats Day Use Site, starting Aug. 27.
But for day biking, BLM designated the areas “no minimum use fee” sites, meaning bikers can “pay what they feel their recreation experience is worth to them specifically for the use of these developed recreation areas.” People will have to pay set fees if they wish to rent a cabin or camp out, though.
The money is supposed to stay onsite. BLM Utah says rising use of its land for recreational purposes is increasing its maintenance costs, which it needs to recover through fees. The agency promises that whatever you pay will be used strictly to replace aging infrastructure, improve visitor services and expand access to its Utah lands for recreation.
Details at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-27/html/2019-03385.htm
