Mapping the trails — Pinpoint exact location while on an ATV

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK — "You are here" ... which may not mean much to most, but to an individual parked atop the Paunsaugunt Plateau, with ATV running, and one tree looking very much like the next, it means a great deal. It means that come suppertime, the rider and friends will be sitting at a table, enjoying a main course and dessert instead of wandering aimlessly along the many dirt roads wondering which one leads back to civilization.

Last year, the staff at Ruby's Inn and members of the U.S. Forest Service entered into a partnership to help guide owners of all-terrain vehicles, i.e. ATVs.

The objective was to produce a map that was as detailed and precise as possible. It was to be a map riders could follow with certainty and confidence.

Donna Owens, district ranger on the Powell Ranger District, Dixie National Forest, said that at the time discussions started there were some maps available but people found them hard to follow.

The new maps, combined with on-the-ground signs, pinpoint locations with the accuracy of a Global Positioning System.

The new maps are available online (rubysinn.com) and will be available through the U.S. Forest Service and its outlets this summer.

"What really got us into this," said Rod Syrett, one of the owners of Ruby's Inn, as he negotiated one of the trails leading to a rim near Bryce Canyon, "was we had a lot of people coming to us and ask if we had maps of the trail systems in the area. We didn't.

"What we found is that people would come in with their ATVs and just ride around the nearby trails because they didn't know where to go. They were missing some of the finest riding in the country."

Which, said Jean Seiler, director of marketing at the inn, was unfortunate, "You've got the whole Dixie National Forest, the Paunsaugunt Plateau, the Aquarius Plateau, the highest plateau in North America, and endless miles of dirt logging roads.

"But we were missing maps showing people the Paunsaugunt Plateau. We met with the (U.S.) Forest Service and developed a partnership. Using a Global Positioning System, we've identified all the major trails on the Paunsaugunt."

All of the trails marked on the map are identified on the USFS' transportation plan as being good for all types of use.

Owens said a similar map was made of the Markagunt Plateau to the West and proved popular.

"When we met about mapping the Paunsaugunt, we thought it would be a great product because of its popularity and beauty. You can't ride in Bryce (National Park), but you can see similar country on the Paunsaugunt. Not only is the riding fun and beautiful, but it's not technically difficult," she added.