A whole enchilada of new management actions will be necessary for upkeep of the Whole Enchilada Trail. Increased usage of the trail by a variety of users has necessitated a major overhaul of ways to encourage responsible recreational use and ecological maintenance. The multi-use trail runs more than 30 miles with elevation spans greater than 7,000 feet in the Moab Ranger District of Manti-La Sal National Forest in southeastern Utah.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management operate parts of the trail. The last needs assessment dates back to 2013 and is way out of date, given increased popularity of the trail. USFS plans to survey trail users onsite during its busiest season, mid-September through mid-October in 2019. It is going through the process of designing a survey and is taking public suggestions on what to ask. If you’ve got any ideas, send them along by the end of 2018. See this link to comment on the Whole Enchilada Trail.
USFS plans to pass out the survey at trailheads and exit points to see how people are using the trail and how they perceive it. The plan calls for a five-page survey with 20 questions and if users don’t want to complete it onsite, they could mail it in. USFS want opinions from a variety of users: bikers, hikers, tour guides, groups, environmentalists, maintenance volunteers, etc.
-Charles Pekow
