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| WV’s 2013 project will camp nearby the stunningly beautiful Warner Lake, photo by Jeff Maurone |
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| A view of Mt. Peale, photo by GSEC |
The Wilderness Volunteers Project Spotlight next lands on the outdoor recreation haven of southeastern Utah, in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Towering above the town of Moab to the east lies the impressive La Sal Mountains, the second highest range in Utah. The La Sals span about 18 miles and contain 3 clusters of peaks. The highest peak, Mt. Peale tops out at 12,721 feet above sea level. The name of the range dates to the Old Spanish Trail when the range was referred to as the Sierra La Sal or “Salt Mountains”. The range remains a prominent landmark for travelers to the region, presenting a breathtaking background to the world famous slickrock Parks of Arches and Canyonlands.
We’ve planned this project in coordination with Brian Murdock, the Recreation, Wilderness and Trails Manager for the National Forest in the Moab/Monticello region. In regard to this project he writes:
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| Not a bad place to give something back |
“The trail system in the La Sal mountains provide for a wide range of trail activities and is heavily used. As a result many of the trails are in need of maintenance to reduce impacts to forest resources. Also a new trail plan will be implemented this summer to deal with an increasing amount of use and the WV project will focus on constructing some of these new trails.
We are planning on base camping at a high elevation camp in the La Sals (either Geyser Pass at 10,500 ft or Warner Lake at 9,300 ft). The views into the surrounding desert country are phenomenal. The project will occur in areas ranging from alpine meadows, aspen and fir stands to areas above timberline and it is usually 30 degrees cooler than the surrounding desert. Participants will be hiking out each morning to the project sites from 1-2 miles and constructing/maintaining trails with provided handtools. It is likely that we will see a large variety of wildlife (deer, elk, coyotes, bears). Many peaks over 11,000 feet are accessible to climb during free time and Warner Lake also presents good fishing.”
