Mud Springs offers green singletrack trails that welcome youth, beginners, adaptive riders, and all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts.
People from across the country visit Moab to get outside and experience the region’s famous redrock country. Now there’s a new place to ride. The Mud Springs Trail System, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), officially opened to the public this September just outside of Moab, Utah, as part of the Freedom 250 Celebration. A few hundred people gathered at the finish line at 2 p.m. on September 11 to cut the ribbon and welcome visitors. Federal, state, and county officials attended along with trail crew members and many young riders. The next morning, 1,174 riders lined up to race on the new trail.
The Utah High School Cycling League’s event brought National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) racing back to Moab for the first time since 2022. Organizers estimated total turnout, including families, between 3,000 and 5,000 people. This shows just how popular new trails are already popular with local communities.
Mud Springs is located on BLM land in the San Juan County part of Spanish Valley, about 12 miles south of downtown Moab. Phase One opens with 7.5 miles of green singletrack across four trails, and over three more miles of blue trails are being built this season, bringing the total to about 11 miles. Most of the trails are machine-built and offer views across the valley. The project added a parking lot, camping areas, and a restroom, and a new trailhead with bathrooms, trailer parking, and information for both motorized and non-motorized users is being built. The trails are designed for mountain bikers, class 1 e-bikes, and adaptive cycles, and when there are no permitted events like races, they are also open to hikers and trail runners.
“We know that trails provide for a higher quality of life while generating economic opportunities for communities,” said Jennifer Jones, assistant field manager for recreation and visitor services at the BLM Moab Field Office. “Residents ride here, visitors come to experience specific trails, and businesses build their work around that infrastructure. High school mountain bikers race here too. This trail system is the first of its kind in San Juan County, purpose-built for adaptive cycles and class 1 e-bikes.”
“I am amazed by what people can do when they come together for a shared goal,“she added.
The idea for the trail started years ago. In 2008, the Moab Field Office set aside 2,255 acres as the Upper Spanish Valley Mountain Bike Focus Area. The resource management plan included working with Utah Trust Lands to open more recreation there. Now, eighteen years later, the trail is finally a reality.
San Juan County and Grand County worked together to make this trail possible. The Utah Department of Transportation helped with access from Highway 191, and volunteers contributed more than 600 hours.
“The Mud Springs Trail System is a great example of what can be accomplished when counties and partners work together toward a common goal. San Juan and Grand counties have worked side by side, along with many other partners, to move this project forward and bring it to completion,” said San Juan County Commissioner Lori Maughan. “It is incredibly rewarding to see Mud Springs reach this point, and I believe this trail system will be a tremendous recreational and economic asset for our communities, our youth, and visitors to southeastern Utah for many years to come.”
“The collaboration among all involved entities has been incredible. San Juan County and Grand County worked with the BLM, Utah Trust Lands, UDOT, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands to make all of this possible,” said Grand County Commission Vice Chair Bill Winfield. “Commissioner Maughan shepherded this to accomplishment, marking an incredible team effort by all.”
The Foundation for America’s Public Lands supported the Mud Springs trail through its Lands to Love® Catalyst Fund.
“Helping local communities and the Bureau of Land Management create new ways for more Americans to support their public lands is at the heart of our work,” said Michaela Hancock, Recreation Program Officer with the Foundation for America’s Public Lands. “As BLM’s official charitable partner, we’re proud to help bring additional resources to projects like Mud Springs that expand recreation access, support local communities, and create opportunities for people of all abilities to get outside.”
Mud Springs is one of 15 projects the Foundation is funding in Utah, working with the BLM, the State of Utah, and philanthropic partners. On Moab’s Mill Creek, that work means stabilizing the creek and reducing flooding. With support from Polaris, visitor and safety improvements are coming to Moab destinations including Tusher Tunnel, Uranium Arch, and Bartlett Alcove. With support from Yamaha, the Foundation is funding the High Desert Trail, a 700-mile backcountry route across western Utah. We’re committed to keeping Utah’s public lands and waters healthy, hardworking, and thriving for generations to come.
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR AMERICA’S PUBLIC LANDS
As the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Foundation for America’s Public Lands serves as a convener, partner, and fundraising catalyst to help ensure the health and stewardship of America’s public lands and waters today, and for the future. To learn more, visit americaslands.org.
The Foundation funds projects that solve real-world problems for local communities and public lands. To date, the Foundation has leveraged more than $20 million in 88 on-the-ground projects across the country. Support for these investments is made possible by federal and state funding, as well as the generous backing of charitable partners and donors.
