Snowbird expansion in Mineral Basin

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
I think it's indicative of a desire to not get bad press, but either way I hope it leads to Snowbird backing off some.
 

KWight

Active Member

Kurt,

I have spent a considerable amount of time up that Canyon since I was about 8 years old. I have not been up that way for the past 4-5 years but hope to return soon to see it again. That said, can you tell me where Miller Hill is? I have been to the top of Mineral Basin and through Mary Ellen Gulch, but am not sure of this other area. The last time I went to Mineral Basin was probably 12 years ago and I seem to recall hearing some heavy equipment at the top of Mineral Basin when I stopped at the meadow directly below Pittsburgh Lake.

I liked the Facebook page you mentioned and would be interested in writing some letters if you can give a contact or address to send them to.

Thanks to you and Mbryson for advocating for this. If I was in that area I would be right there with you.

Kevin
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Miller Hill (named peak and trail) is the range exactly between Mineral Basin & Mary Ellen Gulch. If you've been up to Tyng's Grave, you've been on the side of Miller Hill. It's a wonderful area, has a neat route up to the old mines (ran by Jesse Knight after the Tyng family) and would be a total tragedy to lose to private gates.

We can absolutely put your typing skills to work. Check this out:
http://americanforkcanyon.com/get-involved/

Comment on AFCV: http://afcvision.com/contact/
 

jentzschman

Well-Known Member
Location
Sandy, Utah
This! It's exactly why I haven't been up there in years. They've ruined that canyon for me. Now I'm not against ATV's in any way I ride them myself, it just seems like the people up AF are just riding wherever or however they want. No trail respect or etiquette what so ever.

This is true with not just ATV users. Ever been to a camp site up there and see the trash left behind?

Tread lightly and LNT have the answers, not closures, not more private land with tax hikes.

I guarantee when Snowbirds gets their way, they will close, gate, lock and seal their precious land! It truly will be the end of AFC and will turn into the Cottonwoods with zero OHV use because the precious guests of SB will complain and then the hammer will crack. I hate that the powers that be think this will be what is best for our lands. HELL not it is not. Its best for the powers that be and SB to pad their pockets, period. Nothing will convince me otherwise.
 

jinxspot

~ Bush Eater's Offroad ~
Location
Salt Lake Utah
Miller Hill (named peak and trail) is the range exactly between Mineral Basin & Mary Ellen Gulch. If you've been up to Tyng's Grave, you've been on the side of Miller Hill. It's a wonderful area, has a neat route up to the old mines (ran by Jesse Knight after the Tyng family) and would be a total tragedy to lose to private gates.

We can absolutely put your typing skills to work. Check this out:
http://americanforkcanyon.com/get-involved/

Comment on AFCV: http://afcvision.com/contact/


THANKS for the discussion, info and hyper links... they have been shared with the world and at the very least this has educated many folks of the uphill battle we all face whether we know it or not!!! In the past, not many folks had access to such an amazing amount of information (or it was hard to understand) and the few that had the passion to attend meetings and educate themselves on the current land use issues was quite small. Today I feel we all can help make an impact by following the basic outline set forth in forums like this! I hope everyone can take 5 minutes to fill out emails in these hyperlinks Kurt listed above, maybe attend a meeting or simply pass on the articles/information to your friends via Facebook or better yet in person!

Was up to Tyng's grave and hiked around Miller Hill last weekend. :)
miller hill 1.jpgmiller hill 2.jpgmiller hill 3.jpgmiller hill - view of mineral basin.jpg
 

jinxspot

~ Bush Eater's Offroad ~
Location
Salt Lake Utah
anyone make it to the meeting this morning?
I know RME'er MomboBuggy aka David Day from Alpine UT was there. He mentioned to me there were some very articulate folks there with lots of good information to share about saving the canyon from the land swap. He also mentioned quickly via text that the back-country skiers are not pleased along with the AF Mayor since this was all happening behind closed doors and without Utah County representation.
 

Johnny Quest

Web Wheeler
Location
West Jordan
the back-country skiers are not pleased along with the AF Mayor since this was all happening behind closed doors and without Utah County representation.

as they should be! as everyone in Utah county should be. Snowbird is trying to take land out from under their noses without them knowing, and they got caught.
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Our teams efforts yielded some major updates :cool:

Daily Herald article covering our discontent:
http://m.heraldextra.com/news/local...5cfb-bd12-f59cafdebbf2.html?mobile_touch=true

Deseret News covers the UtCo Commission meeting that rose from our meeting:
http://m.deseretnews.com/article/86...yon-land-swap.html?ref=http://m.facebook.com/

American Fork City issues resolution asking for AFC to be withdrawn from Mountain Accord. This kind of support for our cause is huge!

Read more here:
http://americanforkcanyon.com/recent-media-coverage/
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
So if this goes thru, no more offroad at all up there? Or camping? By the way, I hate ski resorts!

We simply don't know the specifics of the end result but we do know that at a minimum some OHV access will be lost and worst case the long-term future of the canyon is no-OHV's much like Big and Little Cottonwood. It's been impossible to nail anyone related to this swap down on specifics just yet.
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Had a great meeting with Bob Bonar from Snowbird today. Bob had expressed interest in helping us keep these routes accessible and I feel we have a good working relationship moving forward. More on that soon.
 

KWight

Active Member
I will be camped out up AF Canyon next week so will look to see if there are any meetings going on that week. I plan on bringing my Land Cruiser so feel free to PM me if anyone wants to run Mineral Basin, Forest Lake, Mary Ellen Gulch or Miller Hill.
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
PPAFC/www.AmericanForkCanyon.com hosted another great meeting tonight, this one with Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee as well as a plethora of various city leaders. Along with the political representation we had a variety of user groups represented from hikers & bikers to 4x4 users & photographers, very diverse which made for some great input.

In short, we have a great ally in Bill Lee, he is willing to take the bull by the horns and demand due diligence and transparency to the process. While we have a momentum of political support for a balanced approach to this process, things could still turn at any moment. Snowbird is seemingly flexing their muscles in the canyon, posting new "permission required" signs where the existing ROW crosses their property. In addition they still have not removed their "No OHV" signs from public land. I'm still optimistic Snowbird will change plans to preserve access and protect the canyon while still utilizing their private property as they have been the past few years. I hope to meet with Bob Bonar again in the coming weeks to discuss the signage and continue our conversations on the routes.

You can hear a bit more about the meeting here:
http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/st...tion-to-snowbird/37320/3GkBnnLHy0GpYIcM9Fm74Q

Please keep an eye on www.AmericanForkCanyon.com and the PPAFC Facebook page. There is a ton going on and you need to be checking it daily or at least once a week to stay up to speed.
 

jeeper

DumpStor Owner
Location
So Jo, Ut
I have heard that Kurt did some crazy voodoo today and got snowbird to back off..


Or at least that's how I heard it...
 
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