ST. GEORGE – The Red Cliffs Recreation Area, a popular fee site managed by the Bureau of Land Management Utah in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, will be temporarily closed to public visitation June 25–27, 2013, to allow for geotechnical drilling and other tests in connection with upcoming work in the recreation area.
The forthcoming work comes in connection with a business plan recently implement for the recreation area, providing for additional facilities and points of interest for visitors, boundary adjustments and fee increases.
The business plan was proposed and open to public comment through Feb. 8. It went through the BLM Utah Resource Advisory council and did pass, Kyle Voyles, National Conservation Area Outdoor Recreation Planner, said. Fee increases were implemented for all except the White Reef Trailhead, which is now going through a federal funding process in light of the boundary changes and will be fee based in the future although it has previously been a non-fee area.
The new fees are:
- Day-use fees – $5 per carload
- Overnight camping fees – $15
- Annual Interagency America the Beautiful passes are accepted; the interagency passes cost $80, are valid for 12 months from from purchase date and provide access to federal recreation sites, including areas under the National Parks, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation.
The three-day closure will allow for testing during which a drill rig and other heavy equipment will be operating along the Red Cliffs Road and in the campground creating a potential safety hazard to visitors. The upcoming work in the recreation area will install vehicle/pedestrian bridges at two low-water crossings on the Red Cliffs Road.
The three-day closure to public visitation applies to:
- Red Cliffs Road from the entrance gate to the campground;
- Red Cliffs Recreation Area campground and campground loop road;
- Red Cliffs Recreation Area day use areas within the campground;
- Red Reef Trail from the campground to the U.S. Forest Service boundary;
- Silver Reef Trail; and
- Anasazi Trail.
The White Reef trailhead, which is accessed from the Red Cliffs Road just west of Interstate15, and the nonmotorized trail system in the White Reef area will remain open for public use.
Voyles said that June-Aug. is the lowest use period for the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. It is hot and water that runs through the creek beds much of the year is diverted upstream for agriculture and farming use. It is during this lull in use, therefore, that improvement work requiring temporary closures is typically performed.
Resources
Interagency Visitor Center in St. George – 345 East Riverside Drive, St. George / Telephone 435-688-3200.
Interagency America the Beautiful annual passes may be obtained at the Interagency Visitor Center in St. George, at the entrance stations to Zion and other National Parks, and online or by calling 888-ASK-USGS, Extension 1.
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf, or TDD, may call the Federal Information Relay Service, or FIRS, at Telephone 800-877-8339 to contact the visitor center during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and callers may leave messages or questions that will be replied to during normal business hours.
Related posts
Red Cliffs Recreation Area expansion, public comment period pending; Video
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