But it never got the chance. Today many of those tracks are used regularly by mountain bikers. The scars never had the chance to heal and the silence never really returned, at least not in any similar to two decades ago. Recreation is now leaving its own ugly scars. The increasing impacts from non-motorized recreation are only beginning to be recognized by many environmentalists as a real threat to the future of wildlands.
Numbers are similar at other parks in the region.
If the public lands could survive Jeep Safari, they were pretty safe for another year. Virtually nobody hiked in the BLM backcountry and mountain bikes had not yet found their way to Moab. Guided tours were limited mostly to jeep excursions and river trips. Today, on any given weekend, the dirt road junctions with US 191, north and south of Moab, are choked with bike-toting SUVs and Saabs. Surely the wilderness is not what it used to be.