Yesterday, the Utah Bronco Club released initial plans to change the dates of the 2024 Moab Bronco Safari (MBS) and move the event to a new location. The event, slated to run April 30 to May 4, was intended to be hosted at Moab’s Old Spanish Trail Arena once again. However, permitting issues, based in part on off-roaders’ behavior, have caused the club to change directions.
Many in the Bronco community have attended MBS in the past and were planning to go this spring. The announcement has them canceling reservations and reworking travel. But even if you weren’t thinking about attending, news like this may impact you as a Bronco or Sport owner down the road if we aren’t collectively careful.
Off-Roading in Moab
Moab is an iconic off-roading destination, both for the miles of open land and status of completing difficult trails. Major off-roading events in Moab, including Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) and MBS, are nearly as iconic as the land and serve as annual meetups for friends and showcases for manufacturers, including Ford, Jeep, Bilstein, and many more.
image: Brent Greiner
Bronco historian Todd Zuercher breaks down the past: Broncos in Moab: From EJS to Bronco Safari
Unfortunately, all that open land continues to be challenged, and while EJS is still on in Moab for 2024, there are groups interested in seeing fewer vehicles off-road entirely. Trail closures on public land have been happening for decades across the U.S., and once land closes to off-roaders, it rarely reopens. In recent months, the Bureau of Land Management announced it was closing more than 300 miles of trails in Moab. At the end of October, the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) and Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders appealed the plan, and the Utah Attorney General’s Office has petitioned for a halt on the decision as well. The outcome remains in the air.
Permit Denials and Future Closures
Bronco event attendance and off-roading have exploded in the last two years as more 6G owners get vehicles. Even with preparation and a full staff, large-scale events can be difficult to manage and will have extra eyes on them.
If you’ve been off-road, you may have seen firsthand that people are sloppy and negligent on public land –– dumping trash, going off the trail, and being inconsiderate or downright dangerous with their vehicles. Off-roaders get an instant bad reputation from some and carry the blame for a lot of this, despite that many clubs are out there respectfully, aware of the microscope they’re under. Groups like Sons of Smokey, Tread Lightly!, Bronco Wild Fund, and local off-roading clubs do their part to educate, train, and repair damage done to the land, but the actions of even one poor choice are hard on the entire community.
MBS was directly impacted by several unfortunate incidents last year, including graffiti during a side excursion on the red rock, as well as speeding and an altercation on the arena grounds, which caused the intent to apply for a permit to be unanimously denied.
Instead of continuing to go after an uncertain permit, the Utah Bronco Club will be donating $5,000 to the BRC to help fund the fight against land closure and will be moving their event into June and at a new Utah location, details to be announced soon.
While the club has found a solution for now, public land usage and off-roading events will continue to come under scrutiny.
Do Your Part
Past participating in town halls and contacting congressmen, what else can you do to avoid seeing events denied and land shut down? Be responsible for your group. Get permits when required, even if you're just a dozen or so Broncos going out. Learn and follow the Tread Lightly! principles used by clubs and at Bronco Off-Roadeo. Report issues and misbehavior, like people moving blockades or ignoring trail closures.
Read: Not Just Stay the Trail, Maintain the Trail
Participate in trail cleanups, whether that’s through your local club, with the Bronco Wild Fund, or at a Bronco Nation Bronco Basecamp with Sons of Smokey. You often can find cleanups on the Bronco Nation calendar, or as a member, add your own.
Even if you’re not an off-roader now, you or your kids may want to be one later. Do what you can to let them have that choice. If you are an off-roader now, be an example on the trails and for the off-roading community every time you go out. While these positive offsets may not directly affect land closures and the ability to hold events, every right action matters when it comes to this hobby, presently and for the future.
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