Brian Head Area Trails Master Plan
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Brian Head Area Trails Master Plan DRAFT 9/15/2011Produced by: Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program Adopted 2010 Acknowledgements Thanks to the Town of Brian Head‟s Trails Master Plan Development Committee who includes the key partners within the planning process, including the following agencies, organizations, and businesses: Brian Head Town Council; Brian Head Planning Commission; Brian Head Chamber of Commerce; Brian Head Resort; Boy Scouts of America; Cedar Breaks National Monument, National Park Service; The Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service; and The US Forest Service, Dixie National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District. Thanks to Mike Worthen, the Iron County Natural Resources Specialist, and Iron County for their participation in this planning process. Thanks also to the Boy Scouts of America, for their participation and assistance in graphic design on the trail safety materials. Additional thanks to the Utah Patchwork Parkway Scenic Byway Committee, especially Nancy Dalton, for her assistance in the planning process. Special thanks to Peg Simons, Brian Head resident, for her assistance in the planning effort – from the initial planning process to the field mapping of trails and the development of the interpretive plan. This project was advanced by the help of David Maxwell with Southern Utah University for his mapping assistance. Special thanks to Sumner Swaner from the Center for Green Infrastructure Design for assistance with the policy review. Thanks DRAFTto the citizens of Brian Head and the surrounding area who participated in the planning process, and made this planning effort successful. Lastly, thanks to Marcy DeMillion and Lindsay Ex from the National Park Service, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program in Utah. They facilitated trails committee meetings, completed site plans and graphics, including the Brain Head Area Trail logo and kiosk designs, collected mapping information for 44 miles of trail, and compiled the Trail and Interpretive Plans through a collaborative stakeholder process. 9/15/2011 ii Signature Page Contributing Partners ________________________________________ ____________ Brian Head Town, Bryce Haderlie Date ________________________________________ ____________ Brian Head Resort, Henry Hornberger Date ________________________________________ ____________ Boy Scouts of America, Date ________________________________________ ____________ Cedar Breaks National Monument, Paul Roelandt Date ________________________________________ ____________ Iron County, MikeDRAFT Worthen Date ________________________________________ ____________ U.S. Forest Service/Dixie National Forest, Rob MacWhorter Date ________________________________________ ____________ NPS RTCA, Marcy DeMillion9/15/2011 Date iii Executive Summary Several partners involved with this plan administer land in the region, including the Boy Scouts of America, Brian Head Resort, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Dixie National Forest, Iron County, and the Town of Brian Head. Other partners involved with the plan include: the Utah Patchwork Parkway Scenic Byway Committee members, local organizations, and businesses. This plan is the result of a two year collaborative planning process (2009- 2010) by the Town of Brian Head and its partners with assistance from the National Park Service, Rivers, Trails, & Conservation Assistance Program. The National Park Service provided the Town and partners assistance to complete a collaborative trail and interpretive plan. The plan goals were to create a consistent, unified, and world-class trail system for the Town‟s residents and visitors; and to develop and create a Trails Master Plan and mapping system that is easy to use and encourages confident trail navigation. The completion of the Trails Master Plan is due to the commitment made by each partner. The decisions contained in this document were made by the Town and its partners based on a community planning and input process. The project‟s vision, based on consensus of the partners, is: “Brian Head and its partners will create and maintain a sustainable, environmentally sensitive, multi-use trail system that physically, intellectually and emotionally connects users with the area’s recreational, natural, scenic and cultural DRAFTresources.” Through this process, over 44 miles of trails have been located in the Brian Head Area and a plan has been developed for sustainable and consistent signing and development of the trails. This planning effort has accomplished the following: Creation of a Trails Committee for the Town of Brian Head that includes agency, organizations, businesses, and citizen representatives; Locating and mapping of 44 miles of trails within and surrounding 9/15/2011the Town of Brian Head via mapping-grade GPS units; Analysis of the existing trails for tread, sign, and access needs; iv Development of design guidelines for future trail work that are aligned with Utah State Park and national organization standards; Development of an interpretation plan for the Brian Head Area and fourteen trailheads: and Policy analysis of the Town of Brian Head‟s Land Management Code for which of the Town‟s policies need to be updated to reflect the recommendations within this Trails Master Plan. The priorities based on these accomplishments are clear. This plan recommends addressing priorities, as further detailed in Chapter 5: Plan Implementation, in the following order: 1. Acquire easements or access rights for the Town‟s existing trails so the Town may advertise these trails to visitors and residents (as further detailed in Chapter 4: Existing Trails); 2. Clearly communicate the Town‟s trails, their locations, and difficulty ratings to visitors and residents through multiple media outlets (see Appendix A: Interpretive Sign Plan); and 3. Implement the policy changes recommended within the Trails Master Plan (as further described in Chapter 5: Plan Implementation). The optimal management solution would be to begin implementing each of these three priorities simultaneously including; 1) obtaining legal access to trails, 2) communicating trail locations, and 3) policy changes which are integral to the success of the Brian Head Area Trail System. Through this plan, the Brain Head Area partners acknowledge what needs to be accomplished to advance the existing and proposed trail system, and the priority mechanismsDRAFT to implement a successful trail system. This will allow the Brian Head Area to become a year-round destination for motorized and non-motorized recreation users, thereby helping the area‟s long-term economy. 9/15/2011 v Brian Head Area Trails Master Plan Table of Contents Acknowledgements ii Commonly Used Terms iii Executive Summary iv 1. Introduction 3 Brian Head Geographic Area 3 Brian Head Area Partners 3 Need for a Trail System for the Brian Head Area 4 2. Brian Head Area Plan Background and Planning 5 Brian Head Area Background 5 Trail Planning 5 Conformance with the Planning Documents 6 The Planning Process 13 Vision and Goals of the Trails Plan 14 Accomplishments 15 3. Brian Head Area Trails Design Guidelines 17 DRAFT Brian Head Area Trail Types 17 Non-Motorized Recreational Trails 19 Summer Trails Winter Trails Motorized Recreational Trails 23 Summer Trails Winter Trails Trail Signs 25 Trailhead Design 25 Universal9/15/2011 Design & Accessibility 26 1 4. Existing Trails 29 1. Town Trail 31 2. Manzanita Trail 32 3. Mosquito Loop Trail 33 4. Mosquito Lane/ Scout Camp Loop 34 5. Navajo Loop Trail 35 6. Town ORV Trail (Dry Lakes Road) 36 7. Town Snowmobile Trail 37 8. Brian Head Resort Mountain Bike Park 38 5. Plan Implementation 39 Additional Planning Needs 39 Trail Development Priorities 39 Trail Access Types – Easements, Licenses, and 40 Memorandums of Understanding Estimated Construction Costs 41 Maintenance Needs 42 Policy Needs 43 Appendices A. Trailhead Sign & Interpretive Plan B. Trail Marking Standards C. Difficulty Rating D. Funding and Assistance Resources E. Local, State, and National Contacts F. Example MOU G. OrdinancesDRAFT Town County H. Trailhead Concept Plans I. References 9/15/2011 2 1. Introduction\ Brian Head Geographic Area The Brian Head Area is located in Southwestern Utah (Figure 1). The closest city, Cedar City, is located 20 miles from the Town of Brian Head. This plan covers an area administered by the Boy Scouts of America, Brian Head Resort, Dixie National Forest, Iron County, and the Town of Brian Head. Brian Head is known as the highest resort town in America. There are drastic changes in elevation allowing Figure 1: The Brian Head Area is located in visitors to experience five southwest Utah, and provides for many recreational climatic zones as they travel along opportunities (Map courtesy of the National Park Service). the Utah Patchwork Scenic Byway. This creates a unique opportunity for interpretation of cultural and natural history in the Area, and a wide variety of motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities. DRAFTBrian Head Area Partners During a two-year collaborative trail planning effort, a community partnership was formed between the following partners: Boy Scouts of America; Brian Head Resort; Dixie National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District, US Forest Service; Iron County; and National Park Service, Cedar Breaks National Monument. Additional partners involved with the plan included: Brian9/15/2011 Head Town Council; 3 Brian Head Planning Commission; Brian Head Chamber of Commerce; Local