Travel Management
Welcome to the Travel Management section of the GMUG National Forest! Here
you will find links to travel management documents, newsletters, travel plan
updates, and Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) of our
forest.
USDA Forest Service Released the Final Rule for Motorized Recreation in National
Forests and Grasslands in November 2005. The Travel Management Rule otherwise,
referred to as the “OHV Rule” is intended to balance the best possible care
of land with the Public’s enjoyment of recreational vehicles through local
collaboration.
The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests have prepared a
Forest Action Plan
- (PDF, 189 kb) for implementation of the 2005 Travel
Management Rule. The action plan address two processes: planning and on-the-ground
implementation. Currently every acre of the GMUG is closed to cross-country
motorized summer travel and plans are to have every route designated by 2008.
Status of Travel Management on the GMUG: As our Forest name indicates, there
are three separate units with different situations regarding travel
management. Two forests, the Grand Mesa and Uncompahgre Plateau
have completed Travel Management Plans. The Gunnison has “Interim
Travel Restrictions” and in the summer of 2006 initiated travel
management planning for spring, summer and fall uses.
Grand Mesa Travel
The Grand Mesa Travel Management Plan was completed in 1994. This
plan changed travel management on the Grand Mesa NF from “travel
anywhere” to “travel on designated routes only”
and identified the routes (roads and trails) open to motorized travel.
Some routes were closed to motorized travel as a result of the 1994
Grand Mesa Travel Decision. In December 2003, the Travel Plan Decision
was amended to include additional routes made available to OHV motorized
use. The Grand
Mesa Travel Decision includes maps displaying routes open to
motorized vehicles, open to motorcycles only and open to ATV’s.
Motor
Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) for the Grand Mesa are now available.
This black and white map displays routes designated for motorized
uses. It is free to the public.
The Grand Mesa Visitor Map is in color and shows routes identified
according to the 1994 travel management decisions. This map provides
summer recreation information and is available to purchase at local
Forest Service offices and retail stores.
The Forest is currently implementing the winter decisions made in the Travel
Plan. A Grand Mesa Winter Visitor Map produced in 1996, identifies
cross country skiing trails, snowmobile trails and play areas and
restrictions on the Grand Mesa according to the1994 travel management
decision. This map is available to purchase at local Forest Service
offices.
Uncompahgre Travel
The Uncompahgre Travel Management Plan was completed in 2000. It
was the result of extensive collaboration with many users of the
Forest. The Uncompahgre Travel Management
EIS and decision maps provide detailed information on the travel
management decisions. Recreation visitor maps for the Uncompahgre
Plateau Division and the Uncompahgre Mountain Division are available
with routes identified according to the current travel management
decisions. Motorized and non-motorized routes are delineated along
with topographic features. These maps are available for sale ($10.00)
at all Forest Service Offices on the GMUG National Forest or by
mail with this order form.
The black and white free Motor
Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) displaying routes designated for motorized
uses are also available.
Gunnison Travel
The Gunnison Interagency Interim Travel
Plan was completed in 2001. This plan was designed to stop the
proliferation of user created routes by restricting travel to existing
roads and trails and avoiding off route travel. The interim plan
was done with the understanding that at a later date, more detailed
transportation planning would occur.
In July 2006, the Forest Service (FS ) and Bureau of Land Management
( BLM) in a joint effort, began the more detailed Gunnison
Travel Management Plan to designate routes open to mechanized
and motorized vehicles for summer, spring and fall uses. The plan
would also designate vehicle class and season of use for various
routes. The final EIS for the Gunnison Travel Plan is expected to
be completed in 2009. The draft will be released in December 2008.
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