| DATE 10/28/2002 |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Heritage Council on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89. Newly-designed Arapeen Trail offers Riders Hundreds of Miles of Joy |
| There may be lots of ways to “lose yourself” while riding ATV’s around Sanpete County’s Arapeen Trail System, but actually losing your way won’t be one of them, thanks to the efforts by the U.S. Forest Service’s Bill Broadbear and countless volunteers.Broadbear, along with local residents and others from the U.S. Forest Service, recently completed a redesign of the Arapeen Trail system. The routes, most of which are found primarily in the Manti LaSal National forest, have been carefully marked and mapped. It was done to ensure that riders of ATV’s or four-wheelers find their way around the some 370 miles that make up the trail system. The redesign, several years in the making, also includes bridges, culverts and water bars.“The area has really grown in popularity, it is heavily used from about May through October, which is what prompted us to do this new map. We were responding to the huge demand,” Broadbear says. He adds that many of the ATV trails already existed, “But unless you were a local rider or someone who was very familiar with the area, it was hard to find you way back to the point at which you started.” Broadbear says that he and others worked closely with local riders, ATV clubs and other groups on the new design. “What we did was link up all of the trails on both sides of the mountain and put up signs that are easy to read and recognize.”
The trail may be accessed from several locations in both the west and east. In the west, access may be gained through Fairview, Spring City, Ephraim, Manti and Mayfield, and in the east, from Clawson, Ferron, Emery and Orangeville. There is no cost to use the trail system, and there is a major volunteer policing and maintenance effort underway, Broadbear says. “We have local riders wearing special vests out on their ATV’s regularly, making sure people stay on the trails and offering advice and assistance. The volunteer effort to get this project off the ground and running has been amazing. There are literally hundreds of volunteer hours on this. “All we keep hearing from people what a great riding opportunity it is and how much they enjoy the system, so it is all worth it.” For information or to obtain a map of the Arapeen Trail System, contact the US Forest Service at its regional offices: (435) 283-4151; (435) 384-2372 or (435) 636-3500. |
| For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
The unique landscape features a geological wonderland that has been the backdrop for feature films including; “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” While traveling through the picturesque scenery, you might recognize a scene or two. Included in the heritage area is the birthplace of Utah outlaws, Butch Cassidy and Matt Warner. Matt was a lifelong friend and a gang member alongside of Butch. Many movies were filmed in the scenic Under the Rim District of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.
In the later part of the 1800s the Mormon pioneers began their great relocation to the west. They trekked 1,400 miles from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake. This mass-Exodus brought about colonization in Utah, Nevada, the southwest corner of Wyoming, the southeast corner of Idaho, southeast Oregon, and a large portion of southern and eastern California.
