Lion's Back at Moab

 

well, from what the article said Lions gate now has huge boulders in front of it and the gates are locked...and dump bump is also now closed...the owners of a local hotel, the Gonzo Inn, bought the property and plan on building condo's. There was a rumor that potato salad was also bought in the lotbut it is still open. and here is another good pic of Lions back

 

Too bad. What an amenity for a local hotel though. Rent a room and go and back and play on our private off road course for free. Beats cable tv and a high speed internet connection.

 

it was pay to play place the last few years anyway from what I understand.....kinda sad that people with money can buy famed american landmarks and charge us to enjoy them....congress should step in and protect the property...a guy posted this on another forum...wonder why no one checks into it.


I'm talking about RS 2477 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, in which Congress specifically and explicitly reaffirmed all RS 2477 grants previously made. Any publicly-accessible road, trail, path, or navigable waterway that existed in 1976 was recognized and protected by Congress in this Act.

No federal land management agency can determine the validity of an RS 2477 assertion. The agency can only determine for its own administrative purposes whether or not it will recognize the assertion as valid. Constitutionally, only a court can determine the validity. To my knowledge, no federal agency has the authority to close an RS 2477 road for any reason, period.

If, based on the documentation the county provides, a federal agency recognizes the validity of a RS 2477 right of way claim, then it is bound by the right of the local governmental unit to exercise its bundle of rights. If it does not recognize the validity, then the right-of-way holder can still exercise its right. Where a dispute cannot be resolved, the issue goes to federal court for a decision.

I've done some reading on this rs 2477 thing and he's right...any land or water passage used before 1976 cannot be closed for any reason. I'm sure a lot of smarter people than me are looking into it.



BTW....here is a good pic of lions back

 

That is so cool.

 

Do we have any land use or entitlement attorneys on the forum that could look into this?

 

Lion's back (the fin itself) is BLM land and was not sold. What was purchased was the private land at the base - the campground and entrance to LB.

Oh, and as for the original question - I carry spare tie-rods and an extra half shaft. Another good thing to carry is spare fluids - oil, ATF, brake, etc.

 

well...in effect LB might as well of been sold...the entire entrance to it is blocked off so getting to LB isn't possible. It's still a damn shame. And that's the first I have heard of that...JP never mentioned that the entrance was the only thing sold, and the folks at pirate all said that LB was sold...either way it's still off limits now.

 

Sewie's correct, I was in Moab in 07 and indeed the property at the base of LB was purchased by some weenie that closed for the wheelers.

Having said that, there's still plenty of misery, I mean trails at Moab for the hardcore. Lion's Back isn't the only hogback in the area but was certainly one of the most famous and there's no way I'd try that ridge. Once and if you get up it, you've got a very small area to turn around as the top is almost as narrow as the trip down. Once you go up you gotta come down, I honestly don't know which would give me more of a pucker factor.