Red Rock Review
Red Rock 4-Wheelers President's Message 2026 Vol. 4
The premier off-road club focused on family fun 4-wheeling, responsible recreation and public land stewardship
New For 2027!
The first new overnight camping trip will be on Rim Rocker Trail. Rim Rocker Trail runs from Montrose Colorado to the east to Moab at is western terminus. Rim Rocker is a 3 rated trail and includes just about every surface available in the four corners area. Spanning 160 miles the Rim Rocker Trail provides access through some of the West's most stunning scenery. You will be immersed in the natural beauty as the trail takes you through a landscape of redrock canyons, winding rivers, desert vistas and alpine forests. The experience will stay with you for a lifetime.
The 61st Annual Easter Jeep Safari is coming March 20th through 28th, 2027 On the heels of a wildly successful 60th EJS, the 61st Annual EJS is coming up early in 2027. The 2027 Easter Jeep Safari will be fourth earliest event in Safari history. So begin making your plans now. We know many people require advance notice to make sure you have time off to attend the greatest off-road event in the States! Many of the "new" events that made their debut in 2026 will remain part of EJS this coming year. We also have more options available to make the event better and more responsive to suggestions from attendees. For 2027 there will be fewer vehicles on each trail. There will be a strict limit of 25 vehicles per trail and some trails may have an even lower vehicle count. This should reduce the overly long trail days on many trails. New trails and adventures are being added with two additional overnight trails added for those who want that immersive, off-grid, off-road adventure as part of their safari experience. So get out that camping gear and get ready to experience the desert moon and sky on your adventure.
The second new overnight option for the adventurous will be Lockhart Basin. The run will begin at the south end of Lockhart Basin and explores portions of the former Bears Ears National Monument. This trail traverses maintained County "B" roads that are mostly packed dirt but if you have been here before "maintained" has a different meaning out here. There may be washouts along the route post rain storms that do rumble through the area. Scenery abounds in the Basin and the history of this working landscape comes alive with the original oil well road built by Utah Southern in 1927 into the basin during the early energy exploration days, inscriptions at the mouth of the canyon including Ollie Lockhart, John E. Brown and James C. Blood, the Charlie Redd Sheep Trail and the story of the Lockhart Basin Gold Mine. We encourage you to only takes pictures and do not add to the inscriptions left 140 years ago. Weather in mid to late March can be cool here in the four corners area so we encourage you to pack your cold weather camping gear for either of these trips. So make those plans now and join us at the 61st Annual Easter Jeep Safari 2027!
Thank you to every member, officer, employee, coordinator, committee member, trail leader, gunner, volunteer and MUD Fund donor who carried Red Rock 4- Wheelers forward this year. Your work and generosity matter. Our 60th Easter Jeep Safari honored a heritage that is also personal to me: my father founded this organization. The inaugural Camp Moab carried that heritage forward through youth education, supported by Jeepers Jamboree, governmental agencies, industry partners and volunteers. Labor Day Camp Out and Trail of the Month strengthened friendships and welcomed new leaders. Some monthly outings now incorporate route maintenance and stewardship projects. BLM approval to explore trails for possible inclusion in our event catalog opens opportunities for outings and stewardship. Our EJS projects, Hellroaring Rim work during National Public Lands Day, and Tread Lightly! partnership demonstrate responsibility on the ground. I also helped bring Utah’s Cultural Site Stewardship Program to our organization. Jeep® supported our stewardship, Camp Moab and put on the community drone show during EJS. Rugged Radios supported our transition from CB to GMRS, helping participants get equipped and strengthening trail coordination, hazard communication and assistance. Our outreach includes SLOREX, SEMA connections, the West End 4X4 Jeep Tour, Colorado club activities, the Nucla-Naturita Area Chamber of Commerce, county partners, Jeepers Jamboree, Rubicon Jamboree and Camp Rubicon. We joined Moab’s Fourth of July and Green River Melon Days parades. I have researched proposals, prepared public comments and engaged public-land stakeholders. I voiced our support for the Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act in a statement published by a Senate committee in 2025. BLM’s new All Americans Outside initiative reinforces access for people of all abilities. For many, a steering wheel is mobility. Access on paper must mean access on the ground. Our Multiple Use Defense Fund helps defend wheeled access and supports maintenance, signage and stewardship. Our contributions to BlueRibbon Coalition sustain advocacy and legal work benefiting Moab, southeastern Utah and the West—extending our reach beyond Moab Valley’s canyon walls. Our annual charitable giving supports Children’s Justice Centers helping children affected by abuse and their families. We also support southeastern Utah’s county sheriffs and search and rescue teams, and many others with our charitable giving. I believe public lands hold the promise of American freedom: places to explore, work, provide and enjoy. They represent our heritage, future and our national security. Keeping them accessible and responsibly managed preserves that promise. Our expanding work needs more hands.
You can help us prepare for our 61st Safari, March 20–28, 2027, including Camp Moab, the Nostalgia Run and new overnight trails. We will keep pushing into new frontiers, expanding youth involvement and giving while keeping our history alive. Protect access. Promote responsibility. Pass it on. Support our communities. Thank you for trusting me to serve. Enjoy the holidays, look after one another, and I’ll see you on the trail. - George Schultz, President, Red Rock 4-Wheelers
All Americans Outside & National Public Lands Day
BLM Director Steve Pearce signing the AAO Initiative
On Sept. 25, the BLM and its partners celebrated the launch of All Americans Outside initiative at Lions Park in Moab, Utah. The event highlighted a $12.5 million investment by the Utah Trail Network, with additional support from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation and coordination by the BLM, to close a longstanding gap in the trail that runs parallel to the area’s renowned Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway. By improving access and strengthening the link between BLM public lands and the local community, the project is a clear example of what All Americans Outside is all about: removing barriers and helping more people of all abilities to experience and enjoy America’s public lands. “BLM lands offer Americans many ways to connect with their public lands, and everyone should have a way to take part,” said BLM Director Steve Pearce. “With All Americans Outside, we’re making it easier for people of all abilities to experience these lands, understand why they matter, care for them, and pursue careers on public lands.” All Americans Outside offers four ways to take part: • Explore: Enjoy BLM-managed lands through recreation and outdoor experiences, including hiking, climbing, off-highway vehicle use, biking, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and more. • Learn: Understand why a place matters by learning about its history, ecology, and heritage. • Serve: Volunteer for a local BLM project to care for public lands. • Work: Find career opportunities on public lands, including opportunities for youth and veterans.
Labor Day Camp Out 2026
The late Labor Day this year provided Labor Day Camp Out participants great weather and comfortable days on trail. With highs only in the upper 80's and low 90's and a bit of overcast campers had comfortable days on trail and cool evenings in camp. A new event that will be an official part of Labor Day Camp Out in the future was given a trial run this year. "Movie Night" was held by Roger Peck at camp after dinner on Saturday. It will be an official event year, hopefully with an onsite popcorn machine providing piping hot popcorn for attendees. We encourage you to send your suggestions for next year's screening to Roger Peck on Facebook! Organizers of this year's event also ensured that no runs had more than 25 vehicles on trail. This ensured a mid to late afternoon conclusion of the run. This limit will also be in use at EJS 2027 to ensure participants are able to make all of their evening activities in addition to a great day on trail. LDC 2026 was also the debut of the official event t-shirt for attendees. We are already working on the design for next year! Look for event specific clothing at EJS 2027 to commemorate your time on trail at the event.
Red Rock 4-Wheelers PO Box 1471 Moab, UT 84532
Anything Can Happen on Trail...
All Americans Outside & National Public Lands Day (cont.) As part of the NPLD celebration the next day the Red Rock 4-Wheelers took to the trail during our regularly scheduled Trail of the Month run to take part by working on on our public lands. A large contingent, spearheaded by Mark Pope and Ranger Payton Blasco from the BLM, headed out to restore two large sections of laced trail on the Hellroaring Rim Trail.
Members installed cable fencing installed along several hundred feet of trail guiding users onto the designated route. Members also used boulders, rocks, and dead pinyon pines in another area to redirect trail traffic back on to the route. Where possible we try to use available natural materials to effect the repairs. It is only in the worst cases we resort to fencing. Several volunteers also took time to rake out the social trails and bypasses that had been created to speed the natural recovery of the area. With good weather and interrupting the disturbance of those areas they should begin to recover quickly. Thanks to all our volunteers who made this project a success!
Labor Day Camp Out this year also reminded us for the need to be vigilant in every action we take on trail. We all know of the risks we take whenever we venture out into the wilderness and this year that risk made itself known on one of our trails.
2026 Trail of the Month Date Nov 14
Trail Hell's Revenge
Rated
Depart
6
9:00am
Trail of the Month in 2026 has been a year of transition. And that transition has been good! What has been an event run by a few has seen an infusion of new trail leaders and gunners. We thank those folks for volunteering and taking on a bigger part of the this club activity. ToM is a great place to start if you want to be a trail official on future club events. Attendees of ToM will tell you it's a great place try out your leadership skills on trail. ToM 2026 will close with a run on one of Moab's most famous and technical trails, Hell's Revenge. Located in the Sand Flats Recreation Area this 6 rated trail will definitely test your off-road acumen. You will also be rewarded with spectacular scenery and optional obstacles to make your day complete. Please consider joining us on November 14th! A reminder for participants, Trail of the Month has gotten very popular and to remain within our permit status we must limit our group size. Registration is required for ToM events and can be easily completed at www.rr4w.com or at www.facebook.com/groups/rr4wtom. Our Facebook page is also a great place to stay abreast of any updates or last minute changes happening with ToM. Our normal meeting location is the north end of the City Market parking lot in downtown Moab. Hope to see you in November!
Unfortunately, the helicopter pictured above was required to make a visit to our group heading up on the Moab Rim Trail as part of Labor Day Camp Out. I am happy to report that the individual involved in the incident is making a robust recovery from serious injuries he sustained on the trail. The incident resulting in the injury was not caused by any action on the trail that would be considered dangerous in any way. He was injured exiting his vehicle, yes, just stepping out to talk with other participants as they were helping vehicles navigate the Devil's Crack. He had assumed the vehicle was fully engaged in Park. As he started exiting the vehicle he was made painfully aware that the transmission had not fully seated into Park. The vehicle rolled back and he was caught by the front driver side tire. He sustained numerous broken bones but thankfully was not dragged off the trail and cliff by his vehicle. Immediate actions were taken to stabilize the victim and notify the proper authorities to effect the rescue. Our rescue personnel here in the Moab area are well versed in these situations. He was eventually airlifted to a trauma center and underwent surgery to address his injuries. This individual is an experienced off-roader and trail official and has spent countless hours on trail. This incident reminds us to redouble our efforts to stay safe on trail no matter what we are doing. Get well!
THE ANTIQUITIES ACT PRIMER "...to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest... to be national monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible..." - Antiquities Act of 1906; Act of June 8, 1906 Before 1976, the Antiquities Act was one of the few tools available to protect federal public lands. But even then, presidents respected its statutory intent: protecting small, site-specific objects. Devils Tower (Roosevelt, 1906) was 1,152 acres. El Morro (Roosevelt, 1906) was 160 acres. Aztec Ruins (Harding, 1923) was 25 acres. Even the largest pre-1996 designations were eventually elevated to national park status by Congressional vote. The Act functioned exactly as written: protection for ruins, artifacts, geological features, and historic landmarks. By 1976, federal public lands had robust, congressionally-authorized, publicly-accountable protective frameworks. NEPA (1969) required environmental review of major federal actions. The Endangered Species Act (1973) protected species and habitat. FLPMA (1976) gave BLM a multiple-use mandate, public-input requirements, and resource management planning. The National Forest Management Act (1976) did the same for the U.S. Forest Service. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and many others layered additional protections on top. And most importantly, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (1979) created additional protections for cultural resources with real enforcement teeth and penalties. The Antiquities Act has the narrowest statutory scope of any modern public lands tool, and the lowest democratic threshold. A president can use it without a single vote, hearing, or public comment period. Starting in 1979 not a single acre was designated under the Antiquities Act until 1996. Clinton's Grand Staircase-Escalante designation changed that. 1.7 million acres of BLM multiple-use land was now deemed a monument. This marked the beginning of the modern era of Antiquities Act abuse where landscapes, ecosystems, and entire regions could be declared "objects" under a law written to protect cliff dwellings and pueblo ruins. Every large designation since has followed that template functioning as de-facto Wilderness designations on the grandest of scales. The Antiquities Act became a tool once again— not because other tools or protections were non-existent— but because it was a tool that could side-step Congress and could lock up large swaths of land as de-facto Wilderness without public accountability. youtube.com/@RR4WMOAB
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