By Bremen Leak
As Mike Knight slowly pumps the gas, his friend grows uneasy in the passenger seat. The front right tire grips a four-foot slickrock ledge and the buggy noses upward, spilling pocket change clattering to the dry rocks below.
White-knuckled, the passenger clutches the dashboard; his stomach sinks. All earthly references drop from sight. He stares in bewilderment at the great blue expanse, which bends down and presses its face against the windshield, mocking him in a whisper, “Jump! I”ll catch you.”
Knight, 22, and his friends call it “Little Moab,” a place where the boulders play King of the Mountain, and the cedar trees sprout like giant balls of lint on a colossal sweater of sagebrush.
A short drive beyond Utah Lake”s west shore, Lake Mountains is a hodgepodge of cream-colored sandstone, porous rock climbs and steep desert walls – a perfect playground for ATVs, dirt bikes and off-highway vehicles. Located less than an hour from Provo, Lake Mountains offers challenging, scenic trails to the off-road enthusiast who values his time as much as his truck.
Knight”s buggy, a Suzuki Samurai with a cage and Chevy axels, has no paint. In a shower of powder and rock, the hulking hybrid carved a three-foot long groove out of a solid wall of rock as it muscled its way up the perch.
With the stunt caught on tape, Knight”s buddies cheered as he scrambled out of the cage. The new footage would be more fun to watch than their Moab reruns, which now resembled tricycles in the driveway by comparison.
“Hope you brought an extra pair of underwear,” Ben Johnson, 23, laughed as his buddies geared up for another exhilarating run. Johnson”s Jeep has spent as much time on Moab slickrock as it has in its own Davis County driveway. Ben”s older brother Aaron, 25, who organized the trip, agrees that the trails in Lake Mountains are just as challenging as Moab, if not better.
A stretch of state trust land 40 miles south of Lehi on Hwy 68 and seven miles north of Elberta, Lake Mountains belongs to the Bureau of Land Management and encompasses the Nutty Putty Cave and Five Mile Pass. Subtle track impressions, trails of black rubber streaks and motor oil stains on the rock reveal the victories and defeats of past riders. Ben and Aaron can trace their predecessors” routes like trackers on a jungle hunt.
“See, his left tire went right up on that ledge there!” they pointed. “His back tire dropped here! And that”s where he ate it!”
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has designated millions of acres of Utah as public land administered for recreational use. Subsequently, outdoor recreation companies specializing in off-road adventures have flourished.
In Moab, for example, visitors may rent a Jeep for approximately $135 a day. Professionally guided Hummer safaris run $70-$110 a head. Most motorists, however, supply their own vehicles, taking advantage of thousands of miles of Jeep trails in Grand County – remnants of mining and grazing operations.
Every spring, Moab hosts an Easter Jeep Safari, which draws hundreds of motorists to popular trails like the Moab Rim and Poison Spider Mesa. This year when Aaron broke down on a trail called the Pickle, inspiration came to check out some trails closer to home.
Though there may be fewer designated trails in Utah County, visitors can enjoy more freedom in a less congested environment. In addition, less traffic means less pollution and a more memorable off-road experience.
Mandy Rigby, an outdoor recreation planner for the Bureau of Land Management, said that trails are designated for off-highway vehicle use in order to reduce environmental impact.
“Most of the impact occurs when some people go crazy on their own routes,” Rigby said. “You want to make sure you stay on existing routes to protect the vegetation and soil, wildlife, and cultural resources.”
Rabbits, snakes and desert rodents scamper along snapped trees and tire ruts. In the heat of the afternoon sun, Aaron removed his greasy baseball cap and threw it to Big Craig Koester. Koester, 20, rubbed his sunburned neck and threw the hat back – it was too late for that.
In the course of one morning, Knight”s buggy had broken down four times, once on each wheel. Lying on the ground, Knight removed a shattered hub from its casing and laid the pieces to rest in a large dented toolbox. With his finger, he worked purple grease into the new fittings like a kid without a toothbrush at a slumber party. Repairs like these can be expensive. Aaron”s last breakdown, a broken axel, set him back $1300.
“You”ve got to know what you”re doing out here,” said Aaron. “Keep your hands inside!”
On one last run, Aaron”s red Toyota tumbles down a steep precipice. Panicked red ants scatter below like New Yorkers in a Godzilla movie. Teetering on two tires, Aaron whistles for help. Big Craig lunges onto the tailgate, and the truck crashes down, reuniting rock and rubber for the grand finale of another nail-biting, gut-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat home video from Little Moab.
SIDEBAR:
Utah State Parks and Recreation give the following guidelines for off-highway vehicle opportunities:
Heed all applicable restrictions in order to protect yourself and the landscape. Check with the U.S. Forest Service and BLM for brochures and maps about off-highway vehicle opportunities.
Check to determine proper use areas within or adjacent to state parks. Although off-highway vehicle use is not allowed in most national parks, wilderness areas or on lake shores, numerous trails may be found adjacent to or around these areas.
The Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Statute states that all Utah public lands, roads, trails, etc., are closed to all-terrain vehicles and off-highway vehicles unless designated as open by the landowner. Be sure to check if your destination is open.
For more information on laws and rules, contact Utah State Parks and Recreation at (801) 538-7220.
