The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently bought land at the mouth of a canyon in southwest Utah. The bureau purchased 41 acres of popular hiking land in Kanarraville, a rural town in Iron County.
“There’s a lot of recreation opportunities out there, but before we commit to anything, we want to make sure we’re doing what’s best for the community and for the recreationists," said Christian VenHuizen, a public affairs specialist for the BLM Color County district.
Many different agencies own parts of the trail, including private property and wilderness study areas.
“There’s a lot of different players in this, it’s not just one entity that’s making decisions," VenHuizen said.
The popular slot canyon and various waterfalls are accessible along a 2-mile hike down the Kanarra Creek trail.
"It is a popular location, and as we go through, we want to make sure that we are communicating with the community and we have dialogue already established," VenHuizen said. “For the time being, nothing’s changed. The trail—at least on the BLM side—is very much open. We encourage folks to come out and enjoy the outdoors. As they pass through the wilderness study area, to be mindful of maintaining that as that environment is.”
The federal agency bought the land for $660,000 from private owners.
