by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
MOAB, Utah — Way out of town, somewhat out of the way down a crusty asphalt road that turns into a rocky dirt path, sits Hey Joe Canyon, a 4-rated trail that is our destination today.
Sure there will be some trail riding, but the ultimate goal on this windy, steamy day in the Utah desert, is to perform some trail maintenance on Hey Joe with Tread Lightly! as this trail sees an extensive amount of overgrowth that often can close the track for visitors.
Hey Joe Canyon, a segment of Spring and Labyrinth Canyons, is roughly 30 miles northwest of Moab and dives into the earth some 600-plus feet and straddles the Green River for most of its 40-plus mile length.
To get there from the trailhead, you first traverse a narrow ledge road that switchbacks down a cliff for about 600 feet to the canyon floor. The scenery is tremendous, but definitely make sure you keep your eyes on the road and let any passengers take pictures.
Then, once the road flattens out on the floor, it is about an 11-mile run through Spring Canyon — where many enjoy setting up camp to trail ride or spend time tubing or kayaking on the Green River.
Hey Joe Canyon runs out of Spring Canyon and is an actually an abandoned mining road that once carried heavy equipment to and from an area uranium mine. In the 1950s, that trail road began to see some significant erosion, so the Bureau of Land Management planted a bunch of tamarisk between the trail and river, hoping to stem that erosion.
Unfortunately, that tamarisk is also a very invasive and its overgrowth can really impact the trail — forcing its closure at times because the branches will badly scrape up vehicle paint, tops and fenders.
So we, along with several others, hit the trail with clippers and several electric reciprocating saws to trim back that tamarisk so the trail will be much easier to navigate.
For those who don’t know, Tread Lightly! is a national organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing recreation access and opportunities by promoting outdoor ethics to heighten individuals’ sense of good stewardship.
They offer a bunch of programs, trainings and educational material to help educate recreationists across the nation on the importance of treading lightly.
It’s principals break down into five sections:
Travel Responsibly
Stay on designated roads, trails and area. Go over, not around, obstacles to avoid widening the trails. Cross streams only at designated fords. when possible, avoid wet, muddy trails. On water, stay on designated waterways and launch your watercraft in designated areas.
Respect the Rights of Others
This means private property owners, all recreational trail users, campers and others so they can enjoy their recreational activities undisturbed. Leave gates as you found them. Yield right of way to those passing you or going uphill. On water, respect anglers, swimmers, skiers, boaters, divers and those on or near shore.
Educate Yourself
Prior to your trip, learn all about where you are going by obtaining travel maps and regulations from public agencies. Plan for your trip, take recreation skills classes and know how to operate your equipment safely.
Avoid Sensitive Areas
Do not tread on land such as meadows, lake shores, wetlands and streams. Stay on designated routes. This protects wildlife habitats and sensitive soils from damage. Don’t disturb historical, archeological or paleontological sites. On water, avoid operating your watercraft in shallow waters or near shorelines at high speeds.
Do Your Part
Be a leader to others in your group by modeling appropriate behavior, leaving the area better than you found it, properly disposing of waste, minimizing the use of fire, avoiding the spread of invasive species and repairing degraded areas.
Monday, we employed all those ideals as we battled tamarisk overgrowth on a large section of the trail. For most of the afternoon, you could hear the electric hum of saws, branches cracking and metallic clicks as clippers pruned back brush in order to prevent vehicle damage.
It is important work because, as off-roaders ourselves, making sure trails are accessible falls to us — whether that means trimming back brush, fixing erosion issues or even removing trash that had been illegally dumped.
We can all do our part, and many do all over the country whether with friends or their local Jeep club.
Of course, to reach these maintenance locations, you also usually have to overcome some obstacles on the trail. In our case Monday, that meant narrow, tight turns, off-camber driving through eroded trail, washouts and rocky obstacles.
Hey Joe is a 4-rated trail that starts off pretty innocent, but gets tougher as the thing goes along. And we did do our part to help out pull off some in our group who got caught on a few of those obstacles.
Because part of treading lightly is also making sure those with you have the same level of enjoyment of everyone else.
Do your part, right?
